
Class 
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Copyright N° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 











AUTO- 
SUGGESTION 












WHAT IT IS AND HOW 
TO USE IT FOR HEALTH 
HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS 

BY 

HERBERT A. PARKYN, M.D., CM. 

Editor of "SUGGESTION," a Magazine of the New 

Psychology; Medical Superintendent of the Chicago 

School of Psychology, Author of a Mail Course in 

"Suggestive Therapeutics," Etc. 

FOURTH EDITION 
[COMPLETING THE 10th THOUSAND] 

- 

1906 
SUGGESTION PUBLISHING CO. 

4020 Drexel Blvd., Chicago 




















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Copyrighted 1905 

BY 

HERBERT A. PARKYN, M. D. 



CHICAGO 

WALTON & SPENCER CO., PRINTERS 



INTRODUCTION 

During the years 1903 and 1904 I 
published a series of articles on auto- 
suggestion in the magazine Suggestion. 
From the reception accorded the series 
and the great demand for back numbers 
of the magazine, which could not be 
supplied, I decided to revise the articles, 
make some additions and publish them 
in their present form. 

It is only within the last few years 
that we have thoroughly recognized the 
existence of one of the greatest forces 
in Nature, auto-suggestion, and the part 
it plays in influencing health, happiness 
and success; and the more we study its 
operations the clearer becomes the ex- 
planation for so many things that for- 
merly appeared to belong to the realm 
of occultism. 

It is now a demonstrable fact that 
all the phenomena of Christian Science, 
Magnetic Healing, Divine Science, Men- 
tal Science, Sacred Shrines, Absent 

3 



Treatment, Success Circles, etc., are due 
to auto-suggestion. In fact, the major- 
ity of cures made under the direction of 
the practitioners of the various schools 
of medicine can be traced directly to the 
same cause, and progressive physicians 
everywhere are now studying the phe- 
nomena of auto-suggestion, and the 
leading monthly medical magazines are 
teeming with valuable contributions on 
psycho-therapeutics. 

Every human being is continually in- 
fluenced by the subtle power of auto- 
suggestion, for it enters into every con- 
scious and unconscious action of our 
lives. Through its unconscious use per- 
sons have been made invalids for years, 
only to recover when the character of 
their auto-suggestions was changed, al- 
though the change may have occurred 
as unconsciously as the harmful auto- 
suggestions were first developed. 

After fourteen years' practical expe- 
rience with Suggestive Therapeutics in 
the treatment of patients, I have no hes- 
itation in saying that the most impor- 
tant study connected with the healing art 
is the study of auto-suggestion; but 
auto-suggestion plays such a vital part in 

our daily lives, in the forming of char- 

4 



aeter and in our successes and our fail- 
ures, that it should be studied and un- 
derstood by everyone in every walk of 
life. 

In these few chapters I have endeav- 
ored to show what auto-suggestion is, 
and have given a few illustrations to 
show how it can be used to advantage 
when understood. During the time 
these articles were appearing in Sugges- 
tion I received scores of letters from 
persons who claimed they had relieved 
themselves of long-standing troubles by 
following the simple instructions given 
therein, and I sincerely hope they may 
prove as beneficial to many other suffer- 
ers in their new form. 

To those who desire to make a more 
thorough study of Suggestive Thera- 
peutics in all its branches I take pleas- 
ure in heartily recommending my larger 
work entitled, "A Course in Suggestive 
Therapeutics." 

HEEBEET A. PAEKYK, M.D. 

4020 Drexel Boulevard, Chicago. 



CONTENTS 

Chapter Page 

1. Auto-suggestion. What it is and 

now it operates 7 

2. Auto-suggestion. Its effects and 

how to employ it to overcome 
physical troubles 16 

3. Auto-suggestion. How to employ 

it to overcome mental troubles 30 

4. Influence of early auto-suggestions 

for the forming of character. . .43 

5. Auto-suggestion for the formation 

of habits .55 

6. Auto-suggestion and personal mag- 

netism 71 

y 7. The cultivation of optimism through 

auto-suggestion 87 

8. Auto-suggestion for developing oonr 

centration 103 

9. The achievement of success through 

auto-suggestion 115 

10. Auto-suggestion and success 126 

11. Auto-suggestion and breathing 

exercises 138 

12. Auto-suggestion. Its influence on 

health in the winter 149 

13. Auto-suggestion. The diagnosis 

and treatment o? a typical case 

of chronic physical suffering. . . 166 

14. Auto-suggestion the basis of all 

healing 179 

15. How psychic pictures are made 

realities by auto-suggestion .... 18-4 

6 



CHAPTEE I 

Auto/Suggestion; What It Is and How It 
Operates 

*Tp HE TEEM auto-suggestion is in such 
* common use that the majority of 
readers understand the meaning of the 
term. But in order that every reader 
may follow me intelligently, I will de- 
fine the term as we shall use it. 

The word "auto" means "self," the 
word "suggestion" means "impression"; 
consequently "auto-suggestion" means 
"self -impression" — an impression made 
on one's self, or better still, an im- 
pression arising within one's own mind. 

The self -impression may be made vol- 
untarily: for instance, when one im- 
presses his mind with the thought that 
he must arise at an early morning hour 

— this is an example of voluntary auto- 

7 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

suggestion. Or the self-impression may 
be made involuntarily, in which ease it 
is the outgrowth of a sequence of ideas 
that have been unconsciously aroused by 
some external impression or by some 
thought or some real or imaginary bod- 
ily sensation. For instance, a New York 
visitor in Chicago looks at his watch, 
which is set at an hour ahead of Chica- 

m 

go time, and tells a Chicago friend that 
it is twelve o'clock. The Chicago friend, 
not considering the difference in time 
between Chicago and New York, tells the 
New Yorker that he is hungry and that 
he must go to lunch. Twelve o'clock is 
the Chicago man's regular lunch hour 
and the mere mention of twelve o'clock 
is sufficient to arouse his appetite. Or a 
man may have touched an article of 
clothing that he discovers has been worn 
by some one afflicted with a skin dis- 
ease, and immediately he may begin to 
find itching spots all over his body and 
imagine he has contracted the disease. 
These are examples of the effects of in- 
voluntary auto-suggestion. 

A great many phenomena that are at- 
tributed usually to intuition can be 
traced to involuntary auto-suggestion. 

For instance, a young child may take a 

8 



WHAT IT IS 

dislike to some man who has spoken 
harshly or done some mean thing in its 
presence. The man and the incident 
may be entirely forgotten, but the im- 
pression is stored up in that wonderful 
storehouse, the mind, and in after years 
the child, grown to manhood, will carry 
a dislike for anyone resembling the dis- 
liked man of his childhood, and this dis- 
like will not down. Ask a man who holds 
such a dislike as this why he should dis- 
like a person to whom he has just been 
introduced and he will probably say: 
"Oh, I cannot tell you why I dislike 
him. I only know that I do. My dislike 
for him is intuitive." Now this dislike 
is certainly not intuitive. It is the re- 
sult of an "involuntary auto-suggestion" 
which has arisen from the stored-up im- 
pressions of childhood that have been 
aroused by a sequence of unconscious 
thoughts started into activity by the 
general appearance of the new acquaint- 
ance. Such dislikes, as a general rule, 
are very strong, no matter how unjust, 
and we all entertain them in some form 
or other. Would it not be interesting 
if we could determine what an impor- 
tant part these early impressions of child- 
hood play in our lives today in the form 

9 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

of involuntary auto-suggestions? While 
we can be influenced by the dislikes of 
childhood we are just as strongly influ- 
enced by the likes and desires of child- 
hood, and almost every day of our lives 
we find ourselves accomplishing some- 
thing that we determined to do when 
children, little realizing that the force 
that has enabled us to attain the object 
is the involuntary auto-suggestion that 
has steadily grown out of the strong but 
forgotten desire of years ago. 
ANOTHER FORM OF AUTO-SUGGESTION 

There is still another form of auto- 
suggestion which I have called "invol- 
untary-voluntary auto-suggestion." This 
term may seem paradoxical at first, but 
a couple of illustrations will serve to 
show that I have used the term cor- 
rectly. 

A physician prescribes medicine for a 
nervous, sleepless patient, with instruc- 
tions that a dose is to be taken every 
two hours. Now the patient m^y never 
have heard of auto-suggestion, but this 
is the mental process he goes through 
unconsciously (involuntarily) whenever 
he takes a dose of the medicine : "I am 
taking this medicine to quiet my nerves 

and enable me to sleep soundly tonight." 

10 



WHAT IT IS 

Or a patient has sent a remittance for a 
month's absent treatment to an "absent 
healer," who may be several thousand 
miles away. Having received an ac- 
knowledgment of the receipt of his re- 
mittance and instructions to place him- 
self in a receptive attitude at a certain 
hour each day to receive the "telepathic" 
treatment, he obeys the instructions, 
and at the appointed hour sits down, or 
lies down, to receive his share of the 
telepathic health thoughts. Now the 
health thoughts come to him whether 
the healer thinks of him or not, for they 
come in the form of involuntary-volun- 
tary auto-suggestions, and, if his trouble 
be constipation, this thought comes to 
him as he settles himself for treatment: 
"I am now prepared to receive my ab- 
sent treatment. The healer's best 
thought is coming my way and stimu- 
lating my bowels into activity. I want 
them to operate every morning." Sim- 
ilarly, if this patient were taking mag- 
netic treatment he would think to him- 
self, "The magnetism from the operator's 
hands is flowing through my body and 
is stimulating my bowels," etc. Thus 
we have voluntary auto-suggestions 
taken involuntarily, and it is this form of 

11 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

auto-suggestion that the practical sug- 
gestionist employs in order to obtain the 
best therapeutic results in persons or pa- 
tients that are avowed skeptics towards 
suggestive therapeutics. This is accom- 
plished by giving the patient a number 
of things to do daily, such as "sipping 
his liquids/' physical culture exercises, 
etc. Having impressed upon him the 
idea that marked benefit will follow 
these simple practices, involuntary-vol- 
untary auto-suggestions arise within his 
mind and he is strongly influenced for 
good every time he sips or exercises. 

When beginning suggestive treatment 
the importance of recognizing these 
three classes of auto-suggestion and 
making a careful study of employing 
voluntary auto-suggestion should not be 
overlooked. The proper use of auto- 
suggestion should be taught to chil- 
dren in our public schools, but a 
thorough knowledge of its use is an ab- 
solute necessity to anyone who would 
obtain the best results in the practice of 
the healing art, for auto-suggestion is at 
one and the same time the worst foe and 
the strongest ally to be met with in 
treating mental and physical disorders. 

Every physician has encountered pa- 

12 



WHAT IT IS 

tients whose auto-suggestions in the 
forms of fear, doubt, fancy, whim, lack 
of confidence, etc., have retarded or pos- 
itively prevented the slightest relief 
from his treatment. A study of the 
effects and uses of auto-suggestion will 
enable any physician to recognize ad- 
verse auto-suggestions and by employing 
the properly directed suggestions he can 
mould the auto-suggestions of his pa- 
tients to assist in the restoration of 
health. In employing auto-suggestion it 
is well to have in mind some practical 
theory of the way in which its use pro- 
duces results. Let us assume, therefore, 
that the "dual mind theory" advocated 
by Hudson in his "Law of Psychic Phe- 
nomena," is correct. But instead of em- 
ploying the terms objective mind and 
subjective mind, suggested by Hudson, 
mortal mind and immortal mind, or con- 
scious mind and sub-conscious mind, 
suggested by others, let us use the terms 
voluntary mind and involuntary mind. 

VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY MIND 

Eemember that the involuntary mind 
is the mind that controls us during 
sleep; that one is not conscious of the 
operations of the involuntary mind; that 
the involuntary mind controls every 

13 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

function of every organ in the body; 
that it is the seat of the emotions and 
the guardian of the memory; that oun 
whole educational experience is stored 
in the involuntary mind; that the in- 
voluntary mind is incapable of reasoning 
inductively and that it is amenable to 
control by the voluntary mind. 

Eemember that the voluntary mind is 
inactive during natural sleep, but is 
alert the instant a sleeping man be- 
comes conscious of the reception of im- 
pressions through the senses; that the 
voluntary mind is capable of inductive 
as well as deductive reasoning; that im- 
pressions stored in the involuntary mind 
and the operations of the functions of 
the organs of the body can be stimu- 
lated, retarded, and in some eases com- 
pletely changed or checked by impres- 
sions made upon the involuntary through 
the medium of the voluntary mind. In 
other words, the involuntary mind is 
automatic in its operations, but is al- 
ways open to control by the impressions 
made upon it by the voluntary mind. 
Accordingly a person that is always 
talking about his ailments conveys his 
unhealthy thoughts to his involuntary 

mind and his body is influenced accord- 

14 



WHAT IT IS 

ingly. While the student of suggestion, 
by talking health to others and think- 
ing health thoughts himself, with a 
view to charging his involuntary mind 
with the ideas of healthy conditions, 
reaps a rich harvest in the form of im- 
proved or sustained health. 

A man that is self-conscious, afraid 
and timid, can make himself determined, 
confident, aggressive, and fearless by 
holding these strong thoughts in his 
voluntary mind till the involuntary 
mind claims them as its own and influ- 
ences his subsequent bearing according- 
ly. Learn to influence the involuntary 
mind and you can influence yourself 
mentally and physically as you desire, 
but the involuntary mind must be 
reached through the voluntary mind. 
Seek, then, to control the voluntary 
thoughts. 

In this chapter I have endeavored by 
definitions and examples to give the read- 
er some idea of the meaning, force and 
scope of auto-suggestion so that in sub- 
sequent chapters it will not be necessary 
to refer again to the meaning of the 
term auto-suggestion. 

Eemember the three classes of auto- 
suggestion — voluntary, involuntary and 
involuntary-voluntary. 

15 



CHAPTEE II 

Auto^Suggestion; Its Effects and How to 

Employ It to Overcomt physical 

Troubles 

EXCEPTING troubles resulting from 
physical violence, every physical 
trouble that can be found in a human 
body can be traced to imperfections in 
the blood supply of the body. Blood is 
the agent that supplies life to every cell 
in the body and the health of the indi- 
vidual cell depends upon the quantity 
and quality of the blood that nourishes 
it. Consequently, when the health of 
all the cells that go to make up the hu- 
man organism is impaired, it is to the 
blood supply of the body that we must 
look for relief. 

A person who has always had normal 

blood has always had perfect health, 

16 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

and when the blood supply of a person 
suffering from physical troubles becomes 
normal, every abnormal symptom dis- 
appears, excepting in rare cases where 
serious tissue changes have taken place 
after prolonged mal-nutrition of the 
cells composing the affected tissues. 

The quantity and quality of the blood 
supplied to the body depend upon the 
quantity and quality of food and liquids 
consumed, the air breathed and the work 
performed by the main organs of nutri- 
tion and elimination, i. e., the stomach, 
bowels, lungs, kidneys and skin. Con- 
sequently if I can show that auto-sug- 
gestion can create an appetite for whole^ 
some food and stimulate the organs of 
nutrition and elimination till they are 
handling the food so it will be turned 
into good, red, normal blood, I shall 
have shown how physical troubles can 
be overcome by employing auto-sugges- 
tion. 

In treating one's self by auto-sugges- 
tion the life essentials must be given 
careful consideration and be properly 
partaken of, for all the auto-suggestions 
of health, strength, etc., will prove un- 
availing unless the life essentials are 

supplied in proper proportions. And 

17 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

it is because this cardinal point is 
so frequently overlooked by Christian 
Scientists, mental scientists, magnetic 
healers, physicians of all schools and 
osteopathists that so many of their pa- 
tients find their wav to the office of the 
expert suggestionist — who almost inva- 
riably relieves their physical troubles in 
short order. 

THE LIFE ESSENTIALS 

It is necessary for a patient to under- 
stand that his body requires two quarts 
of water, or other liquids, every day of 
his life. The knowledge of this fact 
then becomes an auto-suggestion and it 
continually prompts him to drink suf- 
ficient liquid until he forms the habit of 
drinking two quarts every day. Then 
he should learn that fresh air is another 
essential and his mind should dwell on 
this point until his auto-suggestions 
prompt him to breathe deeply and the 
habit of deep breathing is formed. He 
must also be taught that the cells of the 
body require certain constituents found 
in food and that these constituents are 
most easily obtained from food similar 
to that which goes to make up the diet 

of the average healthy man. 

18 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

The average patient lives on foods 
prepared especially for dyspeptics, 
shuns the hearty diet of the healthy man 
and is always looking for the time to 
come when he can eat the hearty diet; 
but he fails to realize that he is prolong- 
ing his misery by avoiding the food 
which contains the very constituents 
that would bring him health. 

Place a healthy man on the restricted 
diet of an average patient and it will not 
take long to make a sick man of him. 
Ask a patient who lives on prepared 
foods or a restricted diet, why he does 
not eat food like a healthy man and he 
will tell you that he is afraid to eat it. 
His past . experiences have shown him 
that a hearty diet causes stomach dis- 
tress. 

Now the fault does not lie in the 
hearty food, for this same food keeps 
the healthy man in good health, and no 
one ever obtained good health by avoid- 
ing the food taken by healthy men. No, 
the food must not be blamed, for the 
trouble lies in the patient's inability to 
digest it and the inability to digest it 
can usually be traced to the patient's 
failure to partake of the other life es- 
sentials — air and water. The quantity 

19 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

of the digestive juices in the body de- 
pends on the quantity of liquids drunk, 
and if a person drinks too little fluid his 
secretions are stinted. Stint the quan- 
tity of gastric juice and the stomach will 
not digest the same quantity of food as 
it will when the gastric juice is not 
stinted. Again, if a patient does not 
breathe deeply, he does not get as much 
air as a man who does breathe deeply, 
nor does his blood circulate so freely; 
consequently, feeble breathing of im- 
pure air will also retard the work of the 
stomach and bowels in digesting and as- 
similating food. 

Many of the most obstinate cases -of 
constipation and dyspepsia can be overr 
come simply by drinking sufficient liquids 
and forming a habit of breathing deep- 
ly. The deep breathing acts as a mas- 
sage to the stomach and bowels, while 
the liquids supply the gastric juice for 
the stomach, and the pancreatic juice 
and bile for the intestines. Bile is the 
natural purgative. Of course thorough 
mastication is necessary. 

Let these facts concerning the life es- 
sentials sink into a patient's mind and 

his auto-suggestions will prompt him to 

20 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

strive to obtain the proper quantity of 
the life essentials every day of his life. 

Then, too great stress cannot be laid 
on the important part the mind plays in 
stimulating the organs of the body to 
perform their work of handling the life 
essentials after they have been properly 
supplied, and in order to show just how 
wonderfully the mind does control the 
main organs of nutrition and elimina- 
tion, it is only necessary to give a few 
common illustrations of phenomena that 
have been experienced or witnessed by 
everyone. 

Let a person imagine he is squeezing 
the juice from a lemon into his mouth 
or eating a delicacy, and he will imme- 
diately notice a marked increase in the 
flow of saliva into his mouth. The sight 
of a horrible accident or a disgusting 
scene frequently retards digestion and 
nausea may result. A disgusting sight 
or uninviting looking food may instantly 
remove an excellent appetite; a shock- 
ing piece of news has been known to 
cause instantaneous death, and it fre- 
quently happens that the worry, grief, 
nervousness, etc., following the receipt 
of disastrous news will rapidly under- 
mine the health of the strongest indi- 

21 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

viduals, owing to the fact that the men- 
tal depression robs them of their usual 
appetite, retards the digestion of the 
food they do eat — in other words, they 
neglect the life essentials and poor 
health is the inevitable result. 

Following the nervousness caused by 
fright, bad news, educational examina- 
tions -and even athletic games, such trou- 
bles as diarrhoea, polyuria, vomiting, 
etc., frequently occur: 

ADVERSE AUTO-SUGGESTIONS 

If a patient recovering from a serious 
illness tells of the suffering he has en- 
dured, for the time being he suffers 
again — as one can see by his actions 
and facial expression. This reciting and 
imagining of past experiences retards 
the progress of many patients; and in 
treating patients, or in using self -treat- 
ment, this form of adverse auto-sugges- 
tion must be "tabooed." 

It is a well-known fact that while 
medical students are studying the symp- 
toms of different diseases, they fre- 
quently suffer from many of the symp- 
toms and imagine they have the diseases. 
And there is no end to the suffering 
that has been produced by the read- 
ing of the patent-medicine pamphlets 

22 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

that flood- the country. Eecently I 
received a letter from a correspondent 
in a "neighboring city, in which he men- 
tions the curious coincidence that two 
of his brother physicians had died late- 
ly; one, a specialist in the treatment of 
mental and nervous disorders, had died 
from paresis; the other, a specialist in 
the treatment of diseases of the kidneys, 
died from Bright's disease of the kid- 
neys. 

I could give scores of other examples 
to show the deleterious effects the mind 
can have upon the various organs of the 
body when it is filled with unchecked, 
adverse auto-suggestions, but it is the 
object of this chapter to show how 
this same force can be directed intelli- 
gently by the will to improve the work 
of every organ in the body and bring 
health and comfort to the sick. 

Mental troubles, nervousness, grief, 
worry, excitement, etc., will produce 
physical troubles, but I shall devote an- 
other chapter to the treatment of men- 
tal troubles by auto-suggestion, and will 
confine myself for the present to telling 
how to overcome physical troubles, al- 
though patients suffering from com- 
bined mental and physical troubles will 

23 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

be greatly benefited by carefully follow- 
ing the instructions given in this chap- 
ter. 

Did yon ever notice what complete 
control your mind has over your hands, 
and how perfectly you have educated 
them to perform their work for you? 
Well, your mind can also control your 
stomach, bowels, heart, and other organs 
if you will educate them to work for 
you. There is no doubt that, in ages 
past, man had voluntary control of these 
organs, but he has left them so much to 
the control of the involuntary or auto- 
matic mind that they are now looked 
upon as involuntary organs. But if you 
will endeavor to direct their work by 
your thoughts — just as you have directed 
your hands and fingers — you will discover 
they will respond to your directions, pro- 
vided you supply them with the proper 
materials with which to perform their 
work. If you decide to write a letter 
you must supply the fingers with pest, 
ink, and paper, and your fingers will do 
better work for you if they are warm — 
i. e., well supplied with good blood — and 
the better nourished the fingers are the 
better work they will do. Again, your 

writing can be good, bad or indifferent, 

24 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

according to the amount of care you take 
in directing your fingers. Similarly the 
stomach and bowels can be assisted in 
their work by supplying them with plenty 
of liquids and wholesome, thoroughly 
masticated food, and their work can be 
made good, bad or indifferent, according 
to the care taken in sending them fre- 
quent, strong, helpful, commanding, 
health impulses. 

The lungs can be directed to breathe 
deeply, but fresh air must be supplied; 
and the heart, whether too fast or too 
slow, can be educated to beat normally, 
but it must be supplied with sufficient 
blood on which to work and the lungs 
must be controlled to breathe so that 
the blood will receive sufficient oxygen. 

First, then, in importance are the life 
essentials ; air, water, and food. These 
must be supplied to make the blood, 
which as I have already pointed out, is 
the actual healing agent in the body. 

If the patient has been unable to di- 
gest hearty food for a long time, he 
should promptly supply the two essen- 
tials, air and water, and in a few days, 
slowly but surely, he will be able to in- 
crease the quantity of food, until he can 

25 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

eat anything and everything eaten by 
healthy men. 

Next in importance are the auto-sug- 
gestions. These must come as a positive 
mental command to the various organs 
to perform their work properly in mak- 
ing good blood, circulating the blood, 
supplying their secretions and elimina- 
ting the waste materials from the body. 

The auto-suggestions must be made 
frequently, and in order to insure this, a 
good plan is to arrange to take the re- 
quired amount of liquids in small sips 
during the day — say sixty sips during the 
day — taken with meals and between 
meals. Every time the water is sipped 
the auto-suggestions should be made. 

Since thinking health thoughts will 
produce desirable effects, it is evident 
that if a patient tells his troubles to his 
friends, or dwells upon his troubles 
mentally, he will counteract the bene- 
ficial auto-suggestions ; consequently 
when employing auto-suggestions for 
self treatment, if you must talk about 
your health, tell about the improvement 
you are making, and if you think about 
yourself, only think thoughts that you 

desire to have take action in your body. 

26 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

EXAMPLES 

Here is an example of the way in 
which to employ auto-suggestion: — "This 
mouthful of water is one of the life es- 
sentials. I am taking it to increase the 
secretions in my body and it will help 
to carry away the waste materials. It is 
to increase the quantity of saliva and I 
will masticate every mouthful of food 
thoroughly. It will increase the quantity 
of gastric juice and my stomach will per- 
form its work of digestion properly. It 
is to increase the quantity of pancreatic 
juice and the quantity of bile, and my 
bowels will complete the digestion of my 
food and turn it into good, red, rich 
blood. 

"My appetite is growing better — I am 
hungry all the time. I am eating like a 
healthy man and am obtaining as much 
strength from my food as any healthy 
man. 

"This water also makes my bowels 
move at a regular hour every day. It is a 
stimulant to my liver and is forcing my 
bowels to move. 

"My kidneys and skin are working per- 
fectly. I am bright, happy, and cheer- 

27 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

ful. I am obtaining perfect health from 
the life essentials. 

"The good, rich blood I am making 
now is carrying health to every cell in my 
body. Health is my birthright. There 
is health all around me. I am eating it, 
drinking it, breathing it. I am healthy 
NOW. 

"This mouthful of water is also a re- 
minder that I must 'eat some air/ and 
I shall now proceed to educate my lungs 
to breathe deeply by taking half a dozen 
deep breaths. 

"I shall take a moderate amount of 
exercise commensurate with my store of 
energy, but am making certain that I am 
appropriating more strength each day, 
from the life essentials, than I am ex- 
pending. Thus I am banking on my 
energy. I feel better and stronger this 
moment." 

These or similar auto-suggestions 
taken frequently every day, with a lib- 
eral supply of the life essentials, will 
benefit any physical sufferer — I care not 
what his complaint. Eheumatism, sick 
headache, neuralgia, constipation, feeble- 
ness, certain forms of nervousness, fail- 
ing eyesight, nasal catarrh, etc., are 

28 



PHYSICAL TROUBLES 

all symptoms of faulty circulation, and 
by following the self-treatment I have 
outlined, the cause of the symptoms dis- 
appears, the symptoms themselves soon 
follow the cause; consequently in em- 
ploying the auto-suggestions it is not 
necessary to think of the various com- 
plaints. Think the thoughts that will 
bring general physical improvement and 
the symptoms will be overwhelmed in 
the irresistible march of health that will 
surely follow the health thoughts all 
through the body. Thought is a positive, 
dynamic force that takes form in action. 



29 



CHAPTEE III 

AutoSuggestion* How to Employ It to 
Overcome Mental Troubles 

IN MY practice of suggestive thera- 
* peutics I am consulted almost daily 
by patients who tell me that they are 
suffering from mental troubles in one or 
more of the following forms — worry, 
grief, fear, insomnia, timidity, nervous- 
ness, melancholia, loss of memory or 
lack of concentration; that they have 
practiced auto-suggestion faithfully, 
taken Christian Science treatment and 
used the affirmations conscientiously 
without obtaining relief, and that they 
have come to the conclusion they require 
the assistance of a stronger mind to en- 
able them to overcome their mental 
troubles. 

After listening to their tales of woe I 
invariably question this class of patients 

80 



MENTAL TROUBLES 

carefully about their physical condition. 
Frequently my questions are answered 
impatiently and before I have finished 
the examination the patient may say: 

"Doctor, I don't care about any physi- 
cal trouble I may have. I have consulted 
other physicians about them and can 
keep myself in fairly good condition by 
taking a little medicine occasionally, but 
I have come to you to be relieved of my 
mental troubles, and if you can alleviate 
these I can stand the physical incon- 
veniences: in fact, if my mental condi- 
tion be improved I believe my physical 
symptoms will disappear." 

It is curious how many persons over- 
look the fact that the mind and body 
are interdependent. Occasionally we find 
a person in perfect physical health suf- 
fering from a mental trouble, and some- 
times we find a patient with a physical 
trouble whose mental condition seems 
perfect. But these cases are exceptions 
to the rule and a careful analysis of even 
these exceptions might show that they 
are more apparent than real, especially 
if the mental or physical trouble be 
chronic. 

Not one person in ten thousand un- 
31 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

derstands the necessity for giving daily 
attention to the life essentials — air, 
water and food — nor does he realize that 
his health depends upon these essen- 
tials; consequently when grief or worry 
comes to the average person it robs him 
of his usual desire to partake of the life 
essentials and he runs down physically. 
If the grief or worry last a long time, 
the main organs of nutrition become af- 
fected, and, the blood supply being stint- 
ed, fifty different physical symptoms 
may develop in the poorly nourished 
body, and the brain, sharing in the gen- 
eral impoverishment, usually fails to 
perform its functions properly. At this 
stage the worry and grief are increased, 
owing to the diminished activity of the 
"mental balance wheel" — the voluntary 
or objective mind — for the involuntary 
or subjective mind being freed from the 
restraint of the voluntary mind, which 
has dominion over it in good health, the 
involuntary thoughts run riot and every 
abnormal mental symptom is aggra- 
vated. Unless the physical decline in 
health is stopped and the patient built 
up, the grief or worry is likely to be- 
come a permanent habit of thought even 

32 



MENTAL TROUBLES 

if the prime cause of the grief or worry 
has been removed. When a patient has 
reached this low state of mind and body 
every little circumstance is exaggerated 
— always for the worst — and many cu- 
rious habits of thought and even halluci- 
nations, manias and dementia ( obses- 
sions) are likely to develop, to say 
nothing of such common troubles as in- 
somnia, extreme nervousness and melan- 
cholia. 

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS 

On the other hand, a person in excel- 
lent mental condition may run down 
physically through his failure to partake 
of the proper amount of the life essen- 
tials. He may overwork, change his 
usual environment for one in which in- 
correct habits of living are practiced, 
work in a poorly ventilated office or in- 
dulge in alcoholic, nicotinic or other 
excesses, until his health gives out. With 
the decline in general health there is a 
corresponding decline in the mental con- 
dition. Eeason, memory, concentration, 
sleep, self-control, etc. — which are all 
brain functions — become impaired; and 
such symptoms as nervousness, insomnia, 
melancholia, abnormal habits of thought, 

33 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

hallucinations, manias, timidity, fear, 
etc., are likely to develop proportionate- 
ly as the general health declines. 

Taking these facts into consideration 
it must be evident to every thoughtful 
person that whether mental troubles 
precede or follow the decline in physical 
health in a patient, the first steps taken 
must be along lines that will improve his 
physical condition, for with an improve- 
ment in the nutrition of the brain there 
must necessarily follow an improvement 
in the operations of the brain func- 
tions; there is an increase in the control 
exercised by the voluntary mind over the 
involuntary thoughts and actions, and 
slowly but surely the patient returns to 
mental and physical health, especially 
with the aid of an expert suggestionist 
or through the intelligent use of auto- 
suggestion. 

First, then, every sufferer from men- 
tal troubles should turn to Chapter II. 
and compare his habits of living with 
those of the healthy man. If he is not 
living up to these requirements and 
there are physical disorders, he should 

employ the auto-suggestions outlined in 

34 



MENTAL TROUBLES 

that chapter and hold the following 
anto-suggestion in mind at all times: 

"As my physical condition improves 
I am obtaining the mental characteris- 
tics I desire." 

The associating of this thought with 
the physical improvement is generally 
sufficient in itself to bring about the 
desired mental conditions as the health 
improves. 

In order to make this chapter thor- 
oughly practical for those who desire to 
employ auto-suggestion for overcoming 
mental troubles, I shall give an outline 
of the auto-suggestions that have 
worked successfully with different class- 
es of cases that have come under my 
care. 

Look after the life essentials and 
commence sipping your liquids, even if 
your health is good, for with every 
sip comes the reminder that it is time 
to take the auto-suggestive treatment; 
and in order to get the best results the 
auto-suggestions must be made as often 
as possible every day till the desired re- 
sults have been obtained. 

FOR HABITUAL WORRY 

"I am partaking of the life essentials 

like a healthy person and I realize that 

35 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

continued good health is bound to Jbe 
mine. With good health I can accom- 
plish anything. I am strong and can 
overcome everything. I am bright, happy 
and cheerful. I am doing my best every 
day for myself and everyone around me, 
and, realizing this is all anyone can do, 
I shall rest contented with the thought 
that no matter what may occur I have 
done my best. I shall live and enjoy to- 
day as if it were the only day I had to 
live. I am doing my best today and I 
shall, sleep soundly tonight with a free, 
clear conscience and arise in the morn- 
ing happy and cheerful in the thought 
that there is something for me to do in 
this world and that I will do it as well 
as I can, Thought takes form in action; 
so, by thinking of things as I desire them 
to occur, I assist in molding things to 
conform to my desires. I am happy, 
cheerful and contented NOW." 

FOR FEAR AND TIMIDITY 

"Physical strength is the basis of suc- 
cess and courage. The life essentials are 
building up my body and I am becom- 
ing strong and robust. I have physical 
strength and I have determination. I 

feel my courage increasing. I am strong, 

36 



MENTAL TROUBLES 

courageous and fearless NOW. I am a 
man amongst men and I know my physi- 
cal strength and courage will carry me 
through anything successfully. By think- 
ing these strong thoughts I feel strong- 
er; my actions are stronger and my con- 
fidence in myself is increasing. With 
this consciousness of my strength I feel 
like conquering anything and every- 
thing. I go boldly, courageously and 
fearlessly into everything I have to do. 
When I find something to be done I act 
at once and am invariably successful in 
what I do because I go about it fear- 
lessly; I have strength, determination, 
aggressiveness, courage, confidence and 
fearlessness." 

FOR NERVOUSNESS 

"Now that I am partaking properly of 
the life essentials my body is being thor- 
oughly nourished; my nerves and my 
brain are sharing in this increased nu- 
trition and are returning to their nor- 
mal condition. Already I feel stronger, 
quieter, more contented. My self-control 
has increased. I am now master within 
myself. I take everything quietly. I am 
calm, peaceful and contented, and my 
self-control is excellent. I receive every- 

87 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

thing phlegmatically, and deliberate be- 
fore speaking and acting. I am conscious 
of an increase of my powers within." 

FOR IMPAIRED MEMORY AND IM- 
PAIRED CONCENTRATION 

"Memory and concentration are func- 
tions of the brain, and now that my cir- 
culation has improved from supplying 
the life essentials properly, I know that 
my brain is nourished better. This 
means that all the functions of my brain 
have improved in their operations, and 
already I can remember better and can 
apply myself better to any work I have 
in hand. As my health improves I give 
my memory and concentration more 
daily exercises and they are developing 
as any other part of my body would if 
exercised regularly. I look upon mem- 
ory and concentration as mental mus- 
cles, and when a muscle is well nour- 
ished and judiciously exercised it grows 
stronger. My memory and concentration 
are growing stronger and eventually 
they will be better than at any previous 
time in my life. They are becoming per- 
fect." 

FOR ANGER 

"The life essentials are bringing my 
38 



MENTAL TROUBLES 

whole body into harmony and I shall 
endeavor to preserve harmony with ev- 
eryone at all times. I realize that I al- 
ways accomplish better what I desire to 
do when I act quietly and talk quietly. 
I now preserve my self-control under all 
circumstances, realizing that my judg- 
ment is better and that I grasp oppor- 
tunities more quickly when I control 
myself deliberately. I always think 
twice now before speaking or acting, 
and everything I say or do is done de- 
liberately after I am conscious that my 
self-control is fully called forth. Every- 
one around me is happier for the change. 
My friends place more confidence in me 
and my judgment since they realize that 
I am even-tempered and act and speak 
with judgment. Self-control has become 
a matter of pride with me and I realize 
that I am a stronger man in every sense 
of the word. I find it true that 'a soft 
answer turneth away wrath/ A dozen 
times today I exercised great self-control 
and I feel better and stronger for it. 
Every victory makes my next victory 
easier. I am conqueror over myself and 
I shall sleep tonight conscious of the 

fact that I have had a peaceful, harmo- 

39 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

nious day and 'made f fiends' with every- 
one I met." 

FOR SELFISHNESS 

"Now that the life essentials are giv- 
ing me generous instalments of perfect 
health, I, in turn, will be generous to 
everyone I meet. True happiness comes 
from giving pleasure to others and I 
strive daily NOW to do little things 
which give happiness to those around 
me. I am generous and charitable in my 
thoughts and actions. I think always of 
what I can do to give pleasure and en- 
joyment to those I meet and I enjoy ev- 
erything I have so much more if I can 
find someone with whom to share my 
blessings. I find my generosity is draw- 
ing staunch, generous friends around 
me; friends who, like myself, are not 
contented unless they share even their 
little pleasures with me, and their 
thoughtfulness makes me happy. I re- 
alize that these pleasures and this hap- 
piness are bestowed upon me because I 
take pleasure in the happiness of others. 
My generous nature has drawn generous 
friends around me and I am happy and 
contented in their love and friendship. 
I am at peace with myself and the 

40 



MENTAL TROUBLES 

world. I only await the next opportunity 
to make someone happier by a generous 
thought, a word or a deed, for I know 
it will increase my own store of happi- 
ness at the same time. I am thought- 
ful, charitable and generous." 

For obvious reasons it is not possible 
to enter into the detailed self -treatment 
of specific cases, so I have merely given 
an outline of the general treatment for 
certain classes of undesirable mental 
conditions or mental characteristics. 
However, the outline should serve to in- 
dicate the system of treatment to em- 
ploy in specific cases, although every 
case must be carefully studied from 
many points of view, as each case is "a 
law unto itself." 

The reader will have noticed that 
there is no mention of the troubles 
themselves in the various treatments 
outlined and that negative auto-sugges- 
tions are conspicuous by their absence. 
Avoid negative auto-suggestions under 
all circumstances. Employ positive, af- 
firmative auto-suggestions to the effect 
that the conditions you desire to bring 
to pass are actually developing; or go a 

step farther — especially as the treat- 

41 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

ment progresses — and assume and affirm 
that the conditions you desire are actu- 
ally present. 

Avoid negative suggestions, such as "I 
will not be nervous. I am not nervous," 
etc. Negative suggestions only serve to 
aggravate the trouble by calling it to 
mind. How different the effect upon 
the mind when you suggest to yourself 
that you are stronger and quieter; that 
your self-control has increased, etc. 
Thought takes form in action and by 
constantly thinking of the desirable 
conditions they actually develop. A 
timid man cannot think strong, deter- 
mined, aggressive, fearless thoughts 
without being beneficially influenced by 
them, and if he keeps the strong 
thoughts constantly in his mind he 
eventually becomes a strong, aggressive 
man. 



42 



CHAPTEE IV 

Influence of Early Auto/Suggesfions on the 
Formation of Character 

jfy| AN'S whole education is the result 
* * * of impressions (suggestions) re- 
ceived through the various sense ave- 
nues. A full-grown man has received 
thousands of impressions for every im- 
pression received by a one-year-old child, 
and is able, in consequence, to reason 
better than a child; for reason and judg- 
ment are made possible by the storing 
away of impressions that have been re- 
ceived by the brain through the sense 
avenues. 

When it is necessary to make deduc- 
tions or draw conclusions these stored- 
up impressions are called upon, and the 
result of the deduction or the conclu- 
sion will depend entirely upon the na- 

43 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

ture of the impressions that have been 
received already by the mind. 

If yon hand an apple to a normal man 
and tell him it is a door-knob, he mere- 
ly laughs at yon and tells yon that he is 
not a fool; that he knows a door-knob 
when he sees it and handles it, and that 
he knows also the taste, smell, touch 
and appearance of an apple. 

It is only by the calling forth of im- 
pressions already received through the 
senses and making mental comparisons 
that a man is able to tell the difference 
between an apple and a door-knob. A 
normal man is able to discern the dif- 
ference at once because these are com- 
mon articles and he has received many 
impressions about them since his birth. 
The stored-up impressions become auto- 
suggestions, and when you tell him a 
door-knob is an apple his auto-sugges- 
tions come to his rescue and he is able 
at once to tell the difference. But there 
has been a time in his early life when 
through lack of impressions or auto- 
suggestions he did not know the differ- 
ence between an apple and a door-knob; 
nor, to his sorrow perhaps, between a hot 

stove and a nursery rocking-horse. But 

44 



FORMATION OF CHARACTER 

experience in the form of impressions 
has developed auto-suggestions and to- 
day he is not likely to make a play-toy 
out of a hot stove. 

Over a year ago a friend of mine em- 
ployed a "green" Irish girl, who had 
scarcely tasted anything else but water, 
fish and potatoes before coming to the 
United States. One morning she came 
to her mistress holding a peach in one 
hand and a tomato in the other and 
said, "Is thim the same, Mum?" Peaches 
and tomatoes had been ordered for the 
house and when brought to the door 
were mixed in the same basket. Now 
this girl had no auto-suggestions con- 
cerning peaches and tomatoes to come 
to her rescue, for it was the first time 
she had ever seen either of them. 

The same girl was taught how to boil 

beets, but one day some red radishes 

were delivered at the kitchen door and 

a little later she came to her mistress 

and said, "Mum, Oi don't think thim 

beets we got today is any good. They're 

so shmall and whin Oi biled thim they 

floated on top o' the water; besoides, 

theer insoides is whoite." 

But this girl has received her impres- 
45 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

sions about beets, radishes, peaches, to- 
matoes and many more American fruits 
and vegetables, and today is able without 
any assistance or direction to prepare a 
meal of any kind for any special occa- 
sion. Her mistress considers her a jewel. 
Why? Because so far as cooking was 
concerned her auto-suggestions were no 
further developed than a child's. She 
had no counter-suggestions to offer to 
her mistress* suggestions and has quickly 
learned to prepare food suited to the 
taste of the family in which she is em- 
ployed. 

There are great possibilities in a new 
wooden barrel, provided it is empty. It 
is very easy to fill it with syrup or kero- 
sene or any other liquid. But if a bar- 
rel be filled first with kerosene it is very 
difficult to so completely get rid of its 
impressions on the barrel that the bar- 
rel can be used afterward for syrup; the 
barrel, as it were, having formed an auto- 
suggestion which is hard to overcome. 

EARLY IMPRESSIONS LASTING 

A young child's mind is very much like 

a barrel, so far as its first impressions 

are concerned. Its mind is an empty 

thing waiting to be filled with any kind 

46 



FORMATION OF CHARACTER 

of impressions and the impressions of 
childhood are by far the most lasting. 
It can be brought up to speak French 
or German or any other language spo- 
ken in its presence. It can be brought 
up to believe in Christ or in heathen 
idols. It can be brought up courteous 
and gentle, or vulgar and coarse. It can 
be brought up to have good principles 
or bad principles — in fact, its character, 
ideals, beliefs and ambitions can be 
molded to suit the inclinations of its 
parents if the early impressions are 
properly made. These early impressions 
become the strongest class of auto-sug- 
gestions in later years and if undesirable 
habits of thinking or living have been 
formed in childhood it becomes a heroic 
task to overcome them after the child 
grows to manhood. 

If parents could be brought to under- 
stand these facts, how carefully they 
would select the impressions that are to 
influence the whole life of the little 
charge given to their keeping! 

Properly directed suggestions system- 
atically given to children will not only 
keep them healthy and instill right 

principles and desirable ethics, but their 

47 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

inclinations can be developed so they 
will naturally desire to pursue any line 
of work or study that will lead up to the 
life's work decided upon in advance .by 
their parents. 

The mind of the average child, how- 
ever, is left open to the inroads of all 
kinds of suggestions, some of them good, 
many of them bad, and others useless or 
foolish, if not disastrous. 

Poor child, he does not know enough 
to encourage and seek the impressions 
which will make his life easy and use- 
ful, nor is he able to shut out the im- 
pressions that will have a deleterious 
effect upon his career. Without a chance 
to protect himself, and without being 
consulted as to his own choice in the 
matter, he is thrust into the home of a 
king, into the tepee of an Indian, or into 
the hovel of the degraded, to pick up 
what he can from his environment. He 
can be made a prince of the realm or a 
blood-thirsty savage, a Christian or a 
Mohammedan — all depending upon the 
impressions he receives. If his parents 
practice correct habits of eating, drink- 
ing, breathing and thinking, he will fol- 
low their example and grow up healthy 

48 



FORMATION OF CHARACTER 

and strong. If they are kind, gentle, 
courteous, thoughtful and loving, he de- 
velops (not inherits) these qualities. If 
they are rough, selfish, rude, jealous, 
careless and quarrelsome, he develops 
all these characteristics, grows up en- 
tirely devoid of refinement or finer feel- 
ings, and has no conception of them, be- 
cause, like the servant with the peaches 
and tomatoes, he has had no experience 
with them, He cannot see that he is dif- 
ferent from other men, he does not know 
the real meaning of selfishness, because 
he has never experienced generosity, 
and quarreling comes as natural to him 
as eating. 

If anyone will take the trouble to 
watch the effects of some of the absurd 
impressions he has received in childhood, 
or will look for them in others, he will 
discover that they unconsciously influ- 
ence our thoughts and actions to a far 
greater degree than one would believe 
possible. 

SUPERSTITIONS OF CHILDHOOD 

How many of us are not influenced in 

our actions by little superstitions that 

were suggested to us in childhood? We 

laugh at these superstitions, and still 

they influence us. Do you really believe 

49 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

that, if yon are walking with a friend 
and you allow a lamp post, a tree, or 
another person to pass between you, 
your friendship is to be broken in con- 
sequence? Or do you really think you 
will have bad luck all day if after leav- 
ing your house you return to get some- 
thing you have forgotten and start off 
again without first sitting down? No, 
I don't believe you take these supersti- 
tions seriously — still, to be on the safe 
side, you will avoid letting anything 
pass between yourself and friend, or you 
will sit down for a moment after return- 
ing for something forgotten. 

A nurse can wield a wonderful influ- 
ence for good or for bad over the chil- 
dren in her charge. I know of a case in 
point where an ignorant, superstitious 
Irish nurse brought up a large family of 
children. Every one of these children 
became imbued with all the old nurse's 
outrageous superstitions, and the influ- 
ence of her brogue can be heard in the 
speech of all the children in the family, 
and it has been handed down in turn to 
their children with all the old lady's su- 
perstitions. Her ridiculous notions 
about gray eyes, brown eyes, blue eyes, 

red hair, dimpled chins, etc., have influ- 

50 



FORMATION OF CHARACTER 

enced them in their friendships and mar- 
riages, and her bugaboo stories about 
goblins and dragons in the dark have 
made them timid after nightfall. 

IMPORTANCE OF 0HILD TRAINING 

As a rule, parents pay little attention 
to the nurses they employ to look after 
their children. They employ Mary or 
Jane because she seems kind-hearted and 
can be hired cheap because ignorant — 
too ignorant, as a rule, to fill positions 
in which more money can be earned. 

Kindness is not all that is required to 
make a good nurse for a child; and if 
parents could fully realize a nurse's in- 
fluence on their children they would em- 
ploy only a speaker of good English, a 
woman with charming manners and 
good principles — a woman, in fact, who 
possesses the qualities they would like 
to see developed in their children. A 
nurse of this kind is cheap at any price. 
I venture to say the time is not far dis- 
tant when there will be regular train- 
ing schools established for nurses for 
children, and that these nurses when 
properly qualified will draw larger sal- 
aries than the trained nurses from our 

hospitals. When this time comes the 

51 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

training of the children who are to be 
candidates, subsequently, for the presi- 
dency of the Eepublic, will not be left 
to ignorant Mary or Jane. If a nurse 
is to be employed at all, it will be a 
nurse who will give the child the best 
influences during the time he is receiv- 
ing his first suggestions — the most im- 
pressionable time of a man's whole life. 

Not long ago I was riding in the same 
railway coach with a mother and her lit- 
tle girl. The child was sitting in the 
seat opposite to her mother, riding with 
her back toward the engine. Suddenly 
the mother said to her: 

"Charlotte, come here and sit beside 
me. It will make you sick if you ride 
backward." 

A suggestion like this placed in the 
mind of a child is sufficient to influence 
her ihe rest of her life while riding in 
any class of vehicle. It will do a g^eat 
deal to spoil her enjoyment of travel- 
ing, because she will fuss over securing 
a seat facing the direction in which she 
is traveling, and if she be forced through 
circumstances to ride backward, the 
auto-suggestion arising from the old sug- 
gestion given by the mother will be suf- 

52 



FORMATION OF CHARACTER 

ficient to make her miserable if not ac- 
tually sick. 

There is no reason on earth why a 
person should not ride backward as com- 
fortably as any other way. Still I have 
seen women standing in a street car re- 
fuse to accept a seat offered to them, 
the excuse being: 

"Thank you! I prefer to stand. It 
makes me sick to ride backward." 

Poor things, they are made miserable 
by a common superstition or a sugges- 
tion given to them in childhood! 

I have selected this illustration be- 
cause the superstition or belief is a very 
common one, but there are thousands 
of similar absurdities prevalent among 
the masses to make life fussy and un- 
happy. 

Let us arise, then, and see what we 
can do by new auto-suggestions to stamp 
out these old absurd notions, first in 
ourselves, and then, by precept and prac- 
tice endeavor to assist our fellow men to 
free themselves from their self-imposed 
burdens. 

Let us examine ourselves to discover 
the part played by superstitions, absurd 
childish impressions, and habits formed 
in childhood, in making us miserable or 
unhealthy or in retarding our progress 

53 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

in this world. Then let us make our- 
selves over again by constantly repeated 
auto-suggestions in the form of affirma- 
tions that we are masters of our own 
destiny, that right thinking and right 
living bring health, that we are brave, 
strong and fearless, that good luck, 
which is another name for success, is 
the result of perseverance backed up by 
optimistic thinking; for as we think, so 
shall we become, and I predict that we 
shall be repaid a thousandfold by the 
strengthening of the mind and body 
that will follow and the increased pleas- 
ure we shall have in living. 

And the children — teach them the 
importance of partaking of the life 
essentials and place such suggestions in 
their minds that they will grow up 
strong, fearless, noble and courageous. 
Study carefully the environment from 
which they receive their first and conse- 
quently their most powerful and lasting 
impressions. Let the next generation 
of men be so freed from the petty past 
that their faces will not blanch at the 
howl of a dog outside the door, and that 
.they may, if they wish, be married or 
start on a journey all unterrified on Fri- 
day, or on the thirteenth day of the 
month. 

&4 



CHAPTER V 

AutcvSuggestion for the Formation of 
Habits 

¥ N THE previous chapters I have told 
* how to employ auto-suggestion to 
overcome undesirable mental and physi- 
cal troubles, but I will now attempt to 
show how to use auto-suggestion to build 
up desirable and useful physical habits. 

All habits of mind and body are 
formed by repetition of a thought or 
action and the majority of our habits 
have been formed involuntarily; but it 
is surprising how many useful habits can 
be formed if one will only study his re- 
quirements and proceed voluntarily to 
develop the desired habits. 

One man I know found it impossible 

to keep a pocket-knife in his possession, 

for although he bought several knives 

every year, he either lost them or left 

55 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

them lying around. I asked him why he 
did not form a habit of putting his knife 
in a certain place every time after using 
it. He said that he had decided to do 
this several times, but had invariably 
forgotten the resolution and lost his 
knife. 

I told him that if he would use vol- 
untarily auto-suggestion for a few days, 
and obey the suggestions, he could 
form a habit of taking care of his knife, 
and that the habit once formed would 
become a lifelong habit and enable him 
to keep a knife in his possession till it 
was worn out. 

I explained the theory for the opera- 
tion of auto-suggestion, as given in 
Chapter I., and together we devised the 
following plan: 

He was to purchase an ordinary 
leather cover for his cheap knife, and 
every time he used the knife or loaned 
it he was to hold the cover in his hand 
till the knife was returned to it. Then 
the knife was to be dropped into the 
right-hand upper vest pocket. 

After purchasing the cover he was to 
practice putting the knife into the cov- 
er, dropping it into his pocket, taking it 
out again, taking off the cover, opening 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

the knife, closing it again, returning to 
cover and then to his pocket. He was 
to purchase the cover with the thought 
in mind that it was to help him to keep 
the knife in his right-hand upper vest 
pocket. When taking the knife from 
the pocket he was to say to himself: 

'Til put this knife in its case and re- 
turn it to this pocket the moment I have 
finished using it, and Pll hold the cover 
in my left hand until I place the knife 
in it again." 

This man determined to try the ex- 
periment, and a few days later I asked 
him for his knife. Promptly he drew it 
from the upper vest pocket, took it out 
of the case and handed it to me, retain- 
ing the case in his left hand. I was 
pleased with the result of the experi- 
ment, and asked him if he had to think 
of putting it in that pocket every time. 
He replied that for the first few days he 
had voluntarily practiced taking out the 
knife and putting it back half a dozen 
times whenever he required the knife, 
until the act had become automatic. 

This incident occurred several years 
ago, but I met the man again a few days 
ago and in the spirit of fun asked him 
for his knife. Again his hand went to 

57 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

the upper right-hand vest pocket, the 
knife was withdrawn, the cover taken 
off and held in the left hand and the 
knife offered to me. It was one of the 
most beautiful pocket-knives I have ever 
seen, and I commented on it. Imagine 
my surprise and gratification when my 
friend told me that it was only the sec- 
ond knife he had purchased since I told 
him how to form the habit and that the 
first knife he bought to take the place 
of his old cheap knife was still in his 
possession, but completely worn out. 

One morning, some time ago, a patient 
from a distant city came to my office to 
consult me about her health. She was. in 
a highly nervous condition from an ex- 
perience she had passed through early 
in the morning before the train reached 
Chicago. She had washed her hands in 
the lavatory in the Pullman car and 
gone back to her seat. About twenty 
minutes later she discovered that two 
very valuable diamond rings were miss- 
ing and remembered that she had taken 
them off and laid them beside the basin 
in the lavatory. She hurried to the lav- 
atory, only to find the rings had disap- 
peared. The porter denied having seen 

or taken them, although another pas- 

58 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

senger had seen him enter the lavatory 
as soon as my patient left it. Her hus- 
band spoke aggressively to the porter, 
with the result that he searched the bed- 
ding which had been taken from their 
berth and "found" the rings. 

My patient's husband told me that 
this was only one of many frights his 
wife had suffered through carelessness 
in leaving her jewelry lying around or 
hiding it where she, herself, could not 
find it. In fact, the constant losing or 
hiding of the rings was considered a 
"family joke." 

HOW TO FORM A HABIT 

While treating this patient for other 
troubles, I suggested it would be a good 
plan to form a habit, by auto-suggestion, 
of putting her rings in a certain place 
every time she took them off her fingers. 
I made the same explanation to her that 
I made to my friend with the knife, 
and she decided to put it into practice. 
She decided she would tie her rings into 
a handkerchief whenever she took them 
off to wash her hands, and tuck the 
handkerchief inside her waist or corsage 
at once. 

For several days she spent a few min- 
utes four or five times a day practicing 

59 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

taking off her rings, tying them in a 
handkerchief and tucking the handker- 
chief away, saying to herself as she went 
through the practices: 

"Kow, I'll remember to do this every 
time I take off my rings." 

Within a few days she told me that if 
there was not a handkerchief about her 
clothing when she went to wash her 
hands, she felt obliged to go and get one 
before washing her hands. 

One day toward the close of her treat- 
ment she visited a friend's home, and, 
on going to wash her hands, discovered 
she had forgotten to bring a handker- 
chief, but did the next best thing by 
tying the rings in a towel and tucking 
the towel away till the hands were 
washed. 

Eecently I had some correspondence 
with my patient's husband, and, antici- 
pating this article on auto-suggestion, I 
asked in a postscript if his wife had 
gone through any more experiences in 
losing her rings. I quote a paragraph 
from his reply: 

"Mrs. wants me to say to you 

that her rings have never given her a 
moment's uneasiness since she formed 
'the habit' and that for years she has 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

not been caught without a handkerchief 
about her clothing. The sight of her 
rings always reminds her to see that she 
is provided with a handkerchief. If she 
takes the rings off on going to bed away 
from home she puts them in a handker- 
chief and places the handkerchief where 
she will be reminded of it the first thing 
in the morning generally in the toe of 
her shoe or stocking, or tied into the 
sleeve of her undergarment. The little 
suggestion you made has proven very 
efficacious in her case, and we have used 
the principle with gratifying results in 
many different ways in our home life, 
especially in molding the habits of our 
children." 

These incidents may seem too trivial 
to have so much space devoted to them, 
but they are simple examples of the 
hundreds of useful habits, great and 
small, that can be voluntarily developed 
by studying our necessities and failings 
and faithfully employing auto-sugges- 
tion until we have accomplished the de- 
sired result. 

HABITS OF CHILDHOOD 

Childhood is the most favorable time 
to develop the little habits we carry 
through life, and the importance of giv- 

61 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

ing attention to these little habits can- 
not be too strongly impressed upon the 
minds of parents of young children. So 
many parents believe that if they teach 
their children what is right and wrong 
from a moral and ethical point of view, 
clothe them and send them to school, 
they have done all that is required of 
them and that the children will do the 
rest themselves and make a success in 
life. 

I do not doubt that many children 
brought up in this way make a success 
in life, but their success is often made 
in spite of their early training rather 
than on account of it. And although 
here and there we have a shining exam- 
ple of what can be accomplished by a 
rough diamond,, the great majority of 
rough diamonds fall by the wayside and 
are discarded; the preference, ninety- 
nine times out of one hundred being 
given to the finished article, other things 
being equal. The average man in every 
station of life prefers, even at first 
glimpse, to get some idea of the bril- 
liance of a gem. The average man is in 
too much of a hurry to spend time try- 
ing to find out the qualities lying be- 
neath the surface of a rough diamond. 

62 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

Occasionally an accident or a rub may 
reveal the true value of a rough dia- 
mond, but the man who wants a diar 
mond does not go hunting for the rough- 
house kind; instead, he selects the most 
brilliant looking jewel his money will 
buy. As a matter of fact, there is no 
reason why brilliance and quality should 
not be secured in the same stone. 

If the parents of a rough diamond 
could only realize the handicap they 
place on their child by starting him out 
into the world without polishing him as 
much as possible, I am sure every par- 
ent would do his utmost to add a touch 
here and a touch there to the personality 
of his offspring during childhood, for it 
is during childhood that the little hab- 
its are formed, which, taken as a whole, 
do so much to influence his future career 
and station in life. I refer tb habits of 
tidiness, manner, deportment, carriage, 
table etiquette, care of the toilet, etc. 
There comes a time in the life of every 
child when habits of this class have to 
be formed and there is no reason on 
earth why they should not be formed 
in such a way that in later years they 
will not be a source of embarrassment 

to him, if not an actual hindrance to his 

63 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

progress. Of course many will say that 
the absence of these little signs of "pol- 
ish" should not be allowed to interfere 
with a man's standing in a community; 
that we should look only to the soul be- 
hind them, etc. This may be good phi- 
losophy, but the fact remains that it is 
not put into practice. 

I do not mean by this that a man is 
judged by the clothes he wears, although, 
without doubt, good clothing gives a 
man an air of prosperity and frequently 
assists him on the road to success. A 
man may be too poor to buy expensive 
clothes, but there is no reason why he 
should not do his best to keep what 
clothing he has in as good a condition 
as possible, and, if this is done, a man's 
clothing will not interfere materially 
with his ultimate success in business or 
social life. But what does interfere with 
it are the little uncouth habits that 
cost nothing to form or 'to change, ex- 
cepting a little knowledge, a little self- 
examination and a little application un- 
til correct habits are formed. 

While children are forming their 

habits early in life it costs no more to 

teach them habits that give them 

^polish" than habits, which, although 

64 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

very insignificant when considered by 
themselves, undoubtedly retard their 
progress, not only in the social world 
but frequently in business life. 

UNTIDY HABITS 

The chief partner of a large, success- 
ful business firm, with whom I had a dis- 
cussion along these lines, told me that 
at one time he required the services of 
a solicitor to call on the leading busi- 
ness men in the larger cities. There 
were several applicants for the position, 
and he invited the most promising appli- 
cant to take lunch with him at his club 
to talk over business. This applicant 
had excellent references and seemed 
capable in every way, but during the 
lunch he ate with his knife, drank cof- 
fee from his saucer, lounged all over the 
table, and after he had finished eating 
tilted back his chair on its hind legs, 
and after picking his teeth thoroughly, 
took out his penknife and during the 
balance of the conversation continued to 
cut, scrape and clean his finger nails. 

"Now, my business," said this business 
man to me, "required a solicitor who 
could approach men of every type — one 
who could be received into their clubs 
or homes to dine with them if necessary, 

Go 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

and I do not run an infant class to teach 
men how to eat and sit at the table; to 
inform them that manicuring should 
never be done in public, and that the 
picking of their teeth, if necessary, 
should be done in privacy. This man 
might have 'passed' with many of my 
customers who knew no better, but the 
man I finally selected could get along 
all right, not only with those who eared 
nothing about manners or etiquette, but 
was welcomed into the homes and clubs 
of men who believe in polish. The man 
I eventually selected is now the junior 
partner of our firm, making over ten 
thousand dollars a year, while the solicit- 
or I refused to employ, on account of 
his vulgar little habits, is still working 
on a salary of one hundred dollars per 
month." 

One reader of my magazine, Sugges- 
tion, an insurance agent, said to me: 
"I have lived a happy-go-lucky sort of 
life, taking everything as it came to me 
and have been fairly successful in busi- 
ness, but after reading your mail course 
in Suggestive Therapeutics, I began to 
employ Suggestion systematically with 
my clients and my successes have in- 
creased, but I have derived the greatest 

66 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

personal benefit from the lessons on 
habits. 

"I had scarcely given my 'self a 
thought, I question if I knew I had a 
'self/ but since reading those lessons I 
have been practicing auto-suggestion on 
myself most successfully and have 
formed habits and systematized my work 
until I believe I save two valuable hours' 
time every day, and I have been teach- 
ing my children to form habits of sys- 
tem and precision^ which I know will 
prove invaluable to them in a few 
years/' 

This man made a study of his daily 
requirements and began to systematize 
his actions and work just as any success- 
ful employer will systematize the work 
of his employees in order to get the 
greatest amount of work done in the 
regular working hours. He formed the 
habits of going to bed, arising and eat- 
ing at regular hours. 

Before using auto-suggestion he fre- 
quently found himself without a busi- 
ness card to present to a client. His 
fountain pen was sometimes without ink 
for days at a time, frequently necessi- 
tating a loss of time while his client 
went in search of pen or ink in order to 

67 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

sign application blanks or contracts con- 
nected with the insurance business. He 
used to make notes, of addresses and 
dates on the backs of cards, or trusted 
to his memory, with the results that the 
names and addresses and memoranda of 
important engagements were frequently 
lost, or mislaid, or forgotten. He gener- 
ally carried a number of important let- 
ters in his pockets that came in from 
clients, and, in referring to these letters, 
he frequently lost several minutes at a 
time while searching through them for 
the particular one he required, and 
sometimes it was necessary to go through 
these letters many times a day. 

METHOD IN DAILY ROUTINE 
Today this man has developed a dozen 

useful habits. He numbers the several 
things he desires to do every morning 
before leaving his office to visit clients. 
For instance, he says to himself, "I know 
there are five things to be attended to 
before I leave this office. What are 
they? One. Fill my card case. Two. 
Fill my fountain pen with ink. Three. 
Put blank applications and literature in 
my pocket. Four. Take out of my 
pocket any letters that are not required 
there and file them, and put the names 

68 



FORMATION OF HABITS 

of the writers on the back of the envel- 
ope of every letter I put in my pocket 
today. Five. Look over my date book, 
make a list of the clients to be seen to- 
day and number this list according to 
the location of their houses and offices 
so that they can all be seen in the short- 
est space of time with the minimum 
amount of traveling." 

This man now has a date book and 
the habit of jotting down everything 
with his fountain pen has been formed. 
He devotes ' the compartments of his 
pocket-book to different things, but 
these things are always to be found in 
their places — stamps in one, his own 
cards in another, business cards of other 
men in another, bank bills in another, 
etc. His knife is in one pocket, his pipe 
and tobacco in another, matches in an- 
other, and when he has a banknote 
changed, the pennies go into one pocket, 
the nickels and dimes into another, and 
the quarters and half dollars into an- 
other. He set about forming this last 
habit systematically and now separates 
his change automatically and distributes 
it to his pockets as soon as he has count- 
ed it. The result is that he never has 

69 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

to hunt through several pockets for car- 
fare. 

Would it not pay many of ns to study 
our habits and see if we cannot system- 
atize our day until we can save two 
hours' time every day? And, if neces- 
sary, let us polish up our little habits of 
life, by auto-suggestion, till they will be 
pleasing to everybody and give us the 
confidence that comes from knowing, 
not only how things should be done, but 
that we have done them right so often 
that we do them right habitually. 



70 



CHAPTEE YI 
Autosuggestion and Personal Magnetism 

RECENTLY I received a long letter 
> from a correspondent asking sev- 
eral pertinent questions, among others 
the following: 

"Also will you tell me something to 
do that will develop some personal mag- 
netism in me. For a long time I have 
been aware that I do not possess as much 
personal magnetism as I would like to 
have, and I feel that the lack of mag- 
netism keeps me from making the busi- 
ness and social success enjoyed by others 
who seem to have more personal mag- 
netism. 

"Is this force born in people? If so, 
why do some get so much of it while 
others get'none? I cannot believe that 

nature favors some in this respect and 

71 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

denies others. Then what is this force? 
Can it be developed artificially, as many 
claim? 

"I have sent dollars upon dollars to 
people who advertise and profess to be 
able to teach how to develop personal 
magnetism; but all I have for my good 
money are some nonsensical courses in 
hypnotism or some absurd exercises in 
concentration of the will and the con- 
centering of the mind on those we de- 
sire to impress, or some "high-faluting" 
language that sounds so much but means 
so little — but all of it impracticable and 
useless. 

"You generally attack your subject in 
language that everybody can understand 
and your explanations are satisfactory 
and practical. Now would you not fa- 
vor me with your ideas on this impor- 
tant but mysterious subject? 

"Pennsylvania. T. D." 

This letter is only a sample of many 
I receive touching on this important 
subject, and although many believe per- 
sonal magnetism to be an actual, tangi- 
ble force like electricity, I cannot agree 
with them. 

Several correspondents have written 
to say they could actually demonstrate 

72 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

that they possessed personal magnetism, 
and the way in which they attempted 
the demonstration was to rub a sheet of 
writing paper between their hands, af- 
ter which it would stick, for several min- 
utes, to the wall or a piece of furniture, 
or any other object against which it was 
placed. 

Of course every student of physics 
knows the absurdity of supposing this 
phenomenon is a demonstration of per- 
sonal magnetism. If paper be rubbed 
with a silk handkerchief, or rubbed on 
a cat's back, the same electrical phe- 
nomenon will follow, but to a stronger 
degree than if rubbed between the 
hands. Furthermore, the season of the 
year influences this experiment, for, al- 
though it is possible to get perfect re- 
sults on a cold winter's day, it is almost 
impossible to get the slightest results 
in warm weather. Accordingly, if the 
magnetizing of the paper were due to 
personal magnetism, the failure of the 
experiment in summer would show that 
personal magnetism disappears in warm 
weather. 

It is possible for anyone to magnetize 
writing paper in cold weather. A per- 
son with the least personal magnetism 



73 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

will succeed just as well in affecting the 
paper as a person who is conceded to 
have personal magnetism of the highest 
type, 

Jtfo, personal magnetism and elec- 
tricity are not identical, nor are they in 
any way related. Electricity can be 
gathered from inert substances and car- 
ried around in a jar or in a cell; where- 
as so-called personal magnetism depends 
entirely upon the impression one indi- 
vidual makes upon the senses and the 
soul of another. 

A man with a loathsome skin disease 
showing all over his face might appear 
powerfully magnetic to a blind man by 
exhibiting kindness and sympathy, 
whereas he would seem positively repul- 
sive to a man in possession of his five 
senses. 

Other things being equal, the man 
whose face, form and clothing make the 
best appearance, seems the most mag- 
netic. However, a man may have the 
face and form of an Adonis, he may be 
ever so well educated, he may be kind 
and sympathetic, but if his glance is 
shiftless, if he is unable to look us stead- 
ily in the eye while conversing with us, 
he loses his magnetism so far as we are 

74 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

concerned, for we feel instinctively he 
is not to be trusted. 

A man may be an Adonis, look us 
straight in the eyes and be perfectly 
honest, yet his intellect may not satisfy 
everyone and some, in consequence, may 
find him much less magnetic than men 
plainer in form and feature, but with a 
finer intellect; although to others in his 
own intellectual plane he may appear 
the most magnetic man in the world. 

A man's general appearance may be 
excellent, he may be honest and his in- 
tellect above the average, but if he be 
selfish or unsympathetic his magnetism 
loses power for us. 

A person in one stratum of society 
may appear highly magnetic to people 
in the same stratum, but let him enter 
another stratum and on account of his 
boorish manners, or lack of knowledge 
of etiquette, he will probably be consid- 
ered uncouth and entirely lacking in 
personal magnetism. 

WHAT IS PERSONAL MAGNETISM? 

If I were asked to define personal 
magnetism briefly, I would say: 

"It is the art of pleasing." And in 
reply to the question, "Can personal 
magnetism be cultivated?" I would say: 

75 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

"Personal magnetism can be culti- 
vated by studying and practicing the art 
of pleasing." 

It is surprising how few persons de- 
vote a few minutes occasionally to study- 
ing ways and means by which they could 
make themselves more agreeable and 
more pleasing to their fellow men, when 
a few minutes' daily earnest thought 
devoted to this purpose will accomplish 
a great deal through self-study and the 
intelligent use of auto-suggestion. 

I consider the following attributes es- 
sential to the highest development of 
personal magnetism: A cheerful face 
with a steady eye, personal neatness 
(including cleanliness), good health, 
strength, determination, gentleness, 
modesty, even temper, coolness, kindly 
aggressiveness, confidence, fearlessness, 
and thoughtfulness and consideration 
for others. 

A person can be highly pleasing 

(magnetic) without perfect health, but 

good health is an excellent basis for the 

development of personal magnetism. A 

healthy person is usually more attractive 

than a sickly person,, and it should be 

remembered that in cultivating personal 

76 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

magnetism it is the senses that have to 
be pleased first; afterwards, the soul. 

The shake of a warm, healthy hand is 
more pleasing (more magnetic) to the 
sense of touch than the shake of a cold, 
clammy hand. 

The sight of a clean, bright face, with 
clear skin and a healthy glow, is more 
pleasing to the sense of sight than a 
pale, sour, blotched face. 

A body and clothes free from odors 
of any kind are more pleasing to the 
sense of smell than the odor which arises 
from an unclean body, a foul breath or 
from clothes kept in a stuffy home or 
saturated with tobacco or perfume, no 
matter how choice the perfume may be; 
for although some persons are very fond 
of perfume, a great many positively 
loathe it. 

A soft, low-pitched, well-educated 
voice is infinitely more agreeable to the 
sense of hearing than a monotonous, 
high-pitched,, rasping nasal twang. 

The pleasing of the senses, therefore, 
must be taken into consideration in de- 
veloping personal magnetism, and a lit- 
tle honest self-examination, along the 
line I have indicated, will enable any- 
one to establish helpful conditions, even 

77 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

to improving the health and actually 
changing the pitch and modulation of 
the voice. 

A study of the highly magnetic man 
will show that he is slow to enter a heat- 
ed argument, except in the interest of 
right principles. Some people have the 
habit of "butting in" whenever there is 
a chance for an argument, merely for 
the sake of arguing, but this the highly 
magnetic man avoids. The average man 
has pet hobbies, and if given the slight- 
est opportunity he likes to express his 
ideas and propound his theories like a 
sage. As a rule he dislikes to be con- 
tradicted or interrupted or to have his 
theories questioned. The highly mag- 
netic man recognizes this fact and plays 
the part of an interested listener. In 
f act,, he even goes out of his way to help 
the other fellow along in his discourse. 

The magnetic man never boasts about 
himself or his accomplishments in pub- 
lic. He is modest, not shy, has an en- 
couraging word for everyone, recognizes 
and shows his appreciation of any cour- 
tesies or favors shown to him, uses flat- 
tery judiciously, and when he does a fa- 
vor for friend or stranger, has the knack 

78 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

of making the favored one feel that he 
is doing a favor in accepting the favor. 

The magnetic man is thoughtful, 
courteous and kind at all times to 
friends or strangers, not from selfish 
motives, which are always apparent, but 
for the reason that he has made it a 
principle until it has become second na- 
ture with him. He has a bright smile, 
a pleasant word and a "glad hand" for 
everyone. He is never indifferent to the 
trials and suffering of those around him, 
but on the contrary, invariably has an 
encouraging, sympathetic word for those 
in trouble, and possesses the happy 
knack of making the other fellow feel 
that they meet on a common footing; 
the question of superiority or inferiority 
playing no part in their relations. 

The apparent lack of magnetism in 
some people can be directly traced to 
their home environment. The children 
of parents who are not "good mixers" 
and have but few friends and acquaint- 
ances, are apt to grow up selfish and to 
keep to themselves, shunning all but a 
few playmates who, first, have to pass 
the critical, selfish examination of the 
parental eye. A child brought up in this 
environment becomes too critical in 

79 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

later life to make many friends and in 
consequence is said to lack personal 
magnetism. 

I have received many letters of in- 
quiry from people of this class asking 
what they should do to become more 
magnetic, and my advice to them has 
been to drop their criticism and preju- 
dice of their fellow men, to entertain 
a kindly feeling for all' mankind, to min- 
gle with people who have hosts of 
friends, to meet these friends and en- 
deavor to make a friend of every one of 
them. And after all is said and done 
regarding personal magnetism, it re- 
duces itself, in the last analysis, to the 
ability to make and hold friendships. 
Self-examination, the determination to 
improve or change certain traits of char- 
acter and the persistent use of auto- 
suggestion are all beneficial, but it is the 
practical work of making friends and 
being kind and thoughtful for others 
that develops personal magnetism most 
rapidly. 

Traits of character cannot be estab- 
lished nor eradicated in a single day, 
but persistent daily effort, with a defi- 
nite purpose in mind, will accomplish 
almost anything. Consequently, a per- 
son who sets out deliberately to develop 

80 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

personal magnetism should not be dis- 
couraged if he does not accomplish all 
he desires in a few days. If he is mak- 
ing intelligent effort, the mere effort 
with a fixed purpose in mind is bringing 
about changes in himself that he can- 
not measure even if he be conscious of 
the changes. Following persistent effort, 
these changes go on unconsciously until 
the desired goal is reached. 

The Simplest, most practical and most 
effective rule to follow in developing per- 
sonal magnetism is to meet as many 
people as possible and to have each one 
of them leave you feeling better for 
having met you, and believing that you 
are his friend and would be glad to give 
him a friendly reception every time you 
meet thereafter. 

Sitting in one's room practicing con- 
centration and using auto-suggestions, 
while serviceable if done for a purpose, 
will never, in themselves, develop per- 
sonal magnetism. It is the practical 
work in the field of humanity that 
counts. Look after your personal ap- 
pearance, your personal habits, etc.; 
then mingle with people of all classes, 

study them individually and learn by 

81 



AUTCT-SUGGESTION 

experience how to please different per- 
sonalities. 

Practice makes perfect, and as you 
meet more and more people it will be- 
come easier and easier to please, till 
eventually the habit of pleasing will be 
thoroughly established. It is this habit 
of pleasing that constitutes personal 
magnetism and creates the magnetic 
man. Once this habit is formed, the 
magnetism seems to increase rapidly. 

The auto-suggestions to be employed 
will necessarily differ with different 
people, but a little self-examination will 
determine the deficiencies, and once 
these are determined the auto-sugges- 
tions that should be used will become 
self-evident. 

When a person anxious to develop 
personal magnetism recognizes his de- 
ficient points he should go to his room 
or some place where he can be absolute- 
ly alone with his thoughts; then he 
should endeavor to picture in his mind 
the best course to pursue to overcome 
the deficiencies and how he will be act- 
ing when the deficiencies have disap- 
peared. Thinking earnestly beforehand 
of what one should do or how one should 
act in certain situations or under certain 

82 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

conditions, paves the way for the action 
when the conditions or situations arise. 
Thought tends to take form in action, 
and if the thoughts are earnest and de- 
termined the action is almost certain to 
follow. In fact, an action planned be- 
forehand, the result of mature and de- 
liberate thought, seems to follow almost 
automatically — certainly more easily and 
naturally than an action thought out on 
the spur of the moment. Deliberate 
planning of this nature is known as 
auto-suggestion. 

Besides these mental pictures, auto- 
suggestions in the form of words spoken 
to one's self are very efficacious. The 
words, however, should not be repeated 
automatically, but spoken deliberately, 
with the mind dwelling on the full mean- 
ing of the words. To illustrate, I will 
give a few auto-suggestions which will 
prove helpful, and from these one should 
have no difficulty in originating many 
other auto-suggestions to fit his own pe- 
culiar requirements. 

AUTO-SUGGESTION 

"I am determined to become a strong, 
kind, magnetic man. I have kindly, 
generous feelings toward all mankind, 



83 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

and I shall draw the friendship of man- 
kind toward me." 

"I am careful about my personal ap- 
pearance. I dress modestly but neatly. 
On first appearance, this places me on 
an equal footing with the average man; 
but my kindness, my thoughtfulness and 
my desire to be friendly with everyone 
lift me above my clothes, as it were, and 
draw friends and the good will of all to 
me, myself, on account of myself." 

"I am bright, happy, cheerful and 
sympathetic at all times. I have an en- 
couraging word for everyone and every- 
one feels better for having met me." 

"I am honest and truthful and can 
look every man squarely in the eyes. I 
am anxious to do what is right by ev- 
eryone at all times. I do my best every 
day, and the knowledge of this fact 
gives me confidence in myself. People 
know that I will do only what is right; 
they trust me and feel that they can de- 
pend on me. Tor these reasons among 
others they are attracted to me." 

"I am a strong, healthy, determined, 
kind, aggressive, confident, fearless man. 
I take things calmly, avoiding unneces- 
sary excitement and argument. 1 am 
the friend of those in trouble and no 

84 



PERSONAL MAGNETISM 

reasonable effort is too great for me, 
provided it will add a little happiness to 
the lives of deserving people." 

"I will be kind to the old and young 
folks. I will be kind to every living 
thing. I will put myself in the other 
fellow's place and will endeavor, when- 
ever possible or reasonable, to do for 
him what I should like him to do for me 
if our positions or conditions were re- 
versed." 

"These kind, healthy, hopeful, help- 
ful thoughts are influencing me in my 
life and actions, and I know they are 
drawing many kind, helpful friends to 
me. These thoughts and actions are 
magnetic; they are my thoughts." 

"I, MYSELF, AM MAGNETIC." 

Auto-suggestions like these, and oth- 
ers of similar tenor, if repeated fre- 
quently and earnestly, become fixed 
thoughts and principles, provided an 
honest, unselfish effort is made to put 
them into practice. They unconsciously 
influence a man's whole nature and his 
actions for the better, and thereafter 
the people he meets are unconsciously 
influenced by his kind actions and noble 
nature, and are attracted to him. Ask 

85 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

one of his friends what he finds in him 
that is particularly attractive and he 
will probably answer: 

"Oh, I cannot tell exactly. I merely 
know that I like him. He has great per- 
sonal magnetism." 

It is the ability to please by acts 
of kindness, sympathy, honesty, and 
strength of character on the part of the 
party of the first part, and the uncon- 
scious interpretation of these acts by 
the party of the second part that con- 
stitute personal magnetism and lead 
many to believe that personal magnetism 
is, per se, an agent not unlike electricity 
or polar magnetism. 



86 



CHAPTER VII 

The Cultivation of Optimism Through 
Autosuggestion 

Pessimism. — The tendency to exaggerate in 
thought the evils of life, or to look only upon 
its dark side ; a melancholy or depressing spirit 
or view of life. — Century Dictionary. 

Pessimist. — One who exaggerates the evils 
of life or is disposed to see only its dark side ; 
one who is given to melancholy or depressing 
views of life. — Century Dictionary. 

Optimism. — The belief, or disposition to be- 
lieve, that whatever exists is right and good, 
in some inscrutable way, in spite of all obser- 
vations to the contrary. — Century Dictionary. 

Optimist. — One who believes in the present 
or ultimate supremacy of good over evil ; one 
who always hopes for and expects the best; a 
person of hopeful disposition. — Century Dic- 
tionary. 

Optimise. — To take the most hopeful view 
of a matter- to hold or maintain hopeful views 
habitually. — Century Dictionary. 

A TYPICAL CASE OF PESSIMISM 

I AM in receipt of a letter from a man 
complaining that the reading and 
study of .New Thought and the New 
Psychology have not helped him in 
the least, although for several years 

87 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

past he has read all the New Thought 
literature he could purchase. He finds 
fault with his business, his family, 
his competitors* and his customers. 
He says that for the last few years 
everything and everyone seem to have 
conspired to make him miserable and 
fearful; that he would change his occu- 
pation if he knew what change to make 
or would move to another town only he 
is afraid the change might prove dis- 
astrous and his family would starve. He 
admits that he lacks confidence in him- 
self; that he hates anyone who displays 
confidence; that he is a poor, sickly, 
miserable, sensitive wretch, etc. He ends 
by saying that his physical condition has 
been poor for years, but he would not 
care about this if anything could bo done 
by suggestive treatment to relieve his 
mental troubles and make him more suc- 
cessful in business. 

My heart goes out to this man, for he 
is in the same condition as thousands 
of others who want to believe in the New 
Thought and its principles, but cannot 
succeed in getting a demonstration of its 
power within themselves. Many New 
Psychology enthusiasts in good health 
will say his failure to demonstrate is due 

88 



OPTIMISM 

to lack of application, or lack of earnest- 
ness, or failure to grasp the spirit of the 
application of suggestion. However, I 
am not willing to admit this, for I have 
known people who believed thoroughly in 
Suggestion and the New Thought and 
understood the theories so perfectly that 
they could help others suffering from 
pure mental troubles but seemed power- 
less to help themselves. 

The reason for these failures lies here : 
the average man who reads the New 
Thought magazines and New Thought 
literature is led to believe that mind is 
the only thing necessary to take into con- 
sideration. He reads the experience of 
others who have been assisted and the 
plausible theories of those who teach 
that mind is all and in all; that to think 
success, health and happiness is to have 
them. 

There is too much of this nonsense 
published in connection with Suggestion 
and New Thought. The New Thought 
theories are all right for people in good 
health with rich, red, normal blood 
nourishing the brain, the organ throagh 
which the mind operates, for under these 
conditions it is comparatively easy to 
change a habit of thought^ to make an 

89 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

optimist out of a pessimist, or to make 
a success out of a failure. But the New 
Thought becomes a positive failure in 
the majority of cases where there is poor 
health, unless the physical body and its 
requirements are given proper attention. 

The body requires the life essentials — 
air, water and food — in certain propor- 
tions; and all the affirmations or auto- 
suggestions offered by the New Thought 
will not take the place of one glass of 
water or a few cubic feet of air, if the 
physical troubles are due to lack of the 
life essentials. But auto-suggestion can 
be used to create a desire to take the life 
essentials and to stimulate the organs 
of nutrition, so that a good quality of 
blood can be supplied to the tissues of 
the body and the brain. Then, with the 
brain well nourished, the changing of 
habit?, of thought becomes much easier 
and the .New Thought principles work 
like a charm, if they are understood and 
persistently and intelligently employed. 

In my practice of Suggestive Thera- 
peutics I have found two classes of pessi- 
mists — the acute and the chronic. 

ACUTE PESSIMISM 

The acute pessimists are those who are 
naturally optimistic in their thoughts, 

90 



OPTIMISM 

but suffer from occasional attacks of the 
blues^ due generally to imperfect elimi- 
nation caused by over-eating or under- 
drinking or by both. These spells may 
last from a day or two to a week or ten 
days, after which the mental depression 
disappears as quickly as it comes and 
the individual again becomes as jolly and 
optimistic as ever, although when the at- 
tack is on he cannot see good in any- 
thing, but on the contrary, sees the worst 
side of everything. 

Careful attention to eating, breathing, 
and particularly drinking, will relieve 
thk temporary melancholia, and it is not 
likely to return if the life essentials are 
looked after daily. 

CHRONIC PESSIMISM 

The chronic pessimists I have again 
divided into two classes — those in whom 
pessimism has developed only after a 
long spell of poor health, and those that 
always enjoy good health but have been 
pessimists all their lives. 

Pessimism that has developed after a 
long spell of ill health can usually be 
overcome by building up the health and 
employing optimistic suggestions or auto- 
suggestions, for a pessimist of this class 

91 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

realizes that his mental attitude is ab- 
normal — he constantly seeks relief from 
it and is willing to do everything in his 
power to develop optimism. It is to this 
class that my correspondent belongs, 
and a recent letter from him, in reply 
to an inquiry he received from me says 
that in all his New Thought practices, 
instructions and absent treatments, no 
advice had been given to him concern- 
ing the proper use of the life essentials 
and he had not given them a moment's 
consideration, believing the mind alone 
was sufficient to overcome all mental 
and physical troubles. He was drinking 
less than a quart of liquids per day, when 
he should have been drinking fully two 
quarts. Now that he is looking after 
the life essentials his health will im- 
prove, and I expect all his old optimism, 
aggressiveness, self-esteem, confidence 
and ambition will return as he employs 
the auto-suggestions his study of the 
New Thought has taught him to use. 

Pessimism, due to a lifelong habit of 
thought, is difficult to overcome for two 
reasons : 

First, on account of the fact that the 
pessimist, never having experienced the 
delights of optimism, cannot realize that 

92 



OPTIMISM 

his thoughts differ from the thoughts of 
others more optimistic than himself, nor 
that Lis thoughts so influence his actions 
and his conversation that they not only 
drive* his optimistic friends from him but 
surround him with the very conditions 
of which he. complains most. 

Second, for the reason that even if the 
pessimist becomes conscious of the fact 
that there is a difference between pessi- 
mism and optimism and that they play 
an important part in one's success in 
life, he finds it difficult at first to keep 
his mind in optimistic channels long 
enough at a time for noticeable improve- 
ment to follow*, and the very nature of 
his trouble tends to discourage him from 
further persistent, conscientious effort. 

But these poor victims can be turned 
into very fair optimists, especially with 
suggestive treatment administered daily 
by a competent suggestionist, although 
I know several who worked out their own 
salvation by persistently using auto-sug- 
gestion. 

The pessimistic man is generally the 
personification of selfishness. In fact, 
pessimism and selfishness might almost 
be used as synonyms, for I have never 

known a pessimist who was not selfish, 

93 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

nor a selfish person who would not at 
least Exhibit pessimistic traits at times. 
THOUGHT TAKES FORM IN ACTION 
For a positive demonstration of the 
fact that thought takes form in action 
one need only study the daily life of a 
confirmed pessimist. I know several 
persons who suffer from chronic pessi- 
mism of a virulent type, but one poor 
fellow in particular, with whom I have 
become acquainted in a business way, 
will serve as ea\ illustration. He is the 
proprietor of a store in a neighboring 
city; but such a store — it almost gives 
me the blues to go into it ! His windows 
are dressed year in and year out with 
the same old signs, and there is nothing 
to give the store the cheerful appearance 
so essential to an up-to-date business es- 
tablishment. But the atmosphere of the 
place is only in keeping with the pro- 
prietor. When he started in business 
thirty years ago he employed eight clerks, 
but his business has fallen off till he 
does all the work himself and is scarcely 
able now to pay rent, although com- 
petitors around him are increasing their 
business steadily every year. 

In the course of a fifteen minutes' 
conversation, the first time I met him, 

94 



OPTIMISM 

he told me all his troubles, which were 
many. According to his story, everyone 
had been trying to get the better of him 
ever since he started in business; his 
competitors resorted to unfair business 
methods; his landlord was endeavoring 
to drive him out by raising his rent: he 
could not get an honest clerk in his 
store; an old man had not an equal 
chance with a young man; he could not 
understand why people he had catered 
to so faithfully should be so ungrateful 
or so fickle as to give their patronage to 
every upstart who went into business in 
the same line as his; he supposed he 
could work along, as he was doing, from 
morning till night without a holiday till 
he was driven to the poorhouse or died, 
and although he had been in the same 
stand for fifteen years there was not a 
single person he could call on if in heed 
of a friend, etc. 

Although I have had occasion to visit 
him many times during business hours 
I have never heard him address a cheer- 
ful or encouraging remark to a customer. 
On the other hand he waited on them, 
not only with an air of indifference, but 
apparently as if he were doing them a 
favor bv allowing them to trade at his 

95 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

store, while others who dropped in to 
ask permission to use his telephone or 
to enquire about residents in the neigh- 
borhood were soon given to understand 
by his manner and his answers that he 
considered them a nuisance and hoped 
they had not mistaken his store for an 
information bureau. 

I have purposely led him into other 
channels of conversation, with the same 
result; everything was going to the dogs 
— the city, the country, etc. No matter 
what we talked about, his remarks were 
saturated with his pessimism. He was 
ready to blame everything and everyone 
for his condition, and when I ventured 
to suggest that much of his trouble was 
due to his mental attitude he was ready 
to show me the door. However, I am 
keeping him supplied with New Thought 
literature and mottoes and sincerely 
trust that they may eventually prove of 
assistance to him. He does not realize 
that his whole environment, including 
his store and stock, is a mirror-like re- 
flection of his own thoughts. He has 
lost confidence in humanity and human- 
ity has lost confidence in him, with the 
result that his customers are few and 
far between. He feels that the world 



OPTIMISM 

owes him at least a living and that he 
must do his best to make it out of the 
customers that come into his net. The 
result is they do not get as much for 
their money as elsewhere and in conse- 
quence they go elsewhere to deal. He is 
too selfish to give away a pleasant or en- 
couraging word or even a smile, and in 
consequence receives neither. 

What a difference the injection of a 
few New Thought principles would make 
in this man's business and in his private 
life. If he would but cast his bread 
upon the waters for a few weeks by be- 
stowing a smile here and a smile there, 
or a cheerful, encouraging word to this 
customer and that customer, he would 
certainly feel better for the giving, and 
they would return to him a thousand 
fold. If he would only assume that he 
is prosperous and proceed to give his 
store and his stock an air of prosperity, 
how much more attractive he could make 
his place look and how much more in- 
viting it would be for customers ! If he 
would assume that every person that en- 
tered his store was his guest, whether he 
made a purchase or not, people would 
feel like returning to his store when they 

wanted anything in his line. 

97 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

I could suggest a hundred ways in 
which this man could employ suggestion 
and auto-suggestion to increase his busi- 
ness, to draw friends to him, instead of 
driving them away, and to make the 
world and himself better and happier 
while he lives in it. 

Now, although the case I have cited is 
an extreme one, still it serves to show 
the positive effect that our mental atti- 
tude has upon our environment, our 
friends and our success. Optimism is 
just as cheap as pessimism, but optimism 
assists materially in drawing to us all 
that is good and worth while having in 
this life. Then why not let it enter into 
everything we do ? If we meet obstacles 
in our pathway of life let us take hold 
of them with courage, backed by op- 
timism, until we have removed them; 
and if we come to a seemingly impassa- 
ble barrier let us attack it cheerfully, 
believing that in time ways and means 
will be found to enable us to scale it. 
Our optimism may be the very means 
that will draw to us the friends who can 
give us the assistance required. Further- 
more, by being on the alert we are in 
position to accept the proffered assist- 
ance when it comes, instead of allowing 

98 



OPTIMISM 

it to pass, owing to our mental supine- 
ness. 

To those, then, who desire to develop 
an optimistic habit of thought, I would 
say first, remember this axiom — 
"Thought takes form in action." Study 
the axiom over and endeavor to grasp 
its full significance. 

Next endeavor to develop generosity, 
and be generous, not only in the little 
things in life, but be generous in your 
thoughts. Endeavor to think well of 
everybody; always be willing to over- 
look en apparent fault in another ; be- 
lieving that there are other qualities in 
the individual that overwhelm the de- 
ficiency. Take a broad, generous view 
of life and humanity in general and you 
will find your old petty jealousies, absurd 
fancies, and trivial personalities that 
enter so much into your daily life ; com- 
pletely drowned out by a flood of broad, 
generous, optimistic thoughts that will 
apparently bring the world to your feet. 

OPTIMISTIC AUTO-SUGGESTIONS 
I recommend also the constant use of 
auto-suggestions similar in character to 
those given below. These suggestions 
should be repeated many times every 
day, not automatically, but with a full 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

consciousness of their broadest meaning. 
The regular thinking of these sugges- 
tions will soon develop an optimistic 
habit of thought, provided, of course, 
the life essentials are also being properly 

supplied. 

* * * 

I am partaking properly of the life 
essentials. This means that my body and 
brain are well nourished and my mind in 
consequence can operate as clearly as the 
mind of the greatest optimist. 

I desire to change my whole habit of 
thought and my mental attitude toward 
everyone and everything. From today I 
shall be generous in everything I do and 

in my thoughts. 

* * * 

I shall see the bright side of everything 
and shall look only for the good in 

everyone and everything. 

* * * 

I feel better already for having made 

up my mind to optimize. 

* * * 

I shall talk and act like an optimist, 
knowing that I shall make everyone 
around me happier by being cheerful 
and saying cheerful things. 

100 



OPTIMISM 

My optimism will draw people to me. 
My cheerfulness will bring me staunch 

friends. 

* * * 

Already I feel more ambitious. I am 
conquering myself. I am daily entering 
upon a new life — a life of cheerfulness 
and success. 

The world and everything in it is 
brighter already. 

Oh! Fm so happy and cheerful. I 
shall have a cheerful word and a cheer- 
ful look for everyone today. 

* * * 

I will endeavor to make at least one 
person feel better for meeting me to- 
day. 

I realize that thought takes form in 
action and these happy optimistic 
thoughts will bring me the things I have 
desired most — friends, success and hap- 
piness. 

* * * 

I shall take a broad view of every- 
thing; for I believe the world is good, 
that everything works together for good, 

that humanity at heart is good and that 

101 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

I have the best wishes of humanity on 
my road to happiness and success; and I 
am bound to succeed, for I believe in 

success. 

* * * 

Hurray! I am free. 

* * * 

I am happy and cheerful. 

* * * 

I am an optimistic optimist, optimi- 
zing to develop optimism. 

(Note. — As a preface to this chapter 
I have introduced some definitions taken 
from the Century Dictionary. They are 
a New Psychology sermon in them- 
selves. — Author.) 



102 



CHAPTEK VIII 

Autosuggestion for Developing 
Concentration 

AM in receipt of a letter from a cor- 
* respondent in which he says: 
"There is one thing I desire — concen- 
tration of mind. Persistence in follow- 
ing instructions given in books and 
courses that claim to teach concentra- 
tion, has failed to bring me results. I 
simply cannot think of anything so in- 
tently as to forget myself. 

"I believe personal treatment or some 
help from outside would get me started 
right; but alas — there is no such help 
within a thousand miles. 

"I lack positiveness and the ability to 
focus my thoughts. Have you any help 
for me?" 

It is possible for a person to develop 
103 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

a muscle or a group of muscles in his 
body, provided those muscles are sup- 
plied with proper nutrition and receive 
judicious, regular exercise. But it is 
not reasonable to suppose that a man in 
the last stages of consumption could in- 
crease the strength and size of his biceps 
muscle noticeably. He might attempt 
the experiment of exercising the mus- 
cles for a few days, but each day would 
find his exercise becoming more burden- 
some. In fact, it is a question if he 
would ever be able to muster sufficient 
strength at any single time to exercise 
the muscles sufficiently to bring about 
any perceptible change, even if he had 
sufficient will power to continue exer- 
cising faithfully. But it is probable, if 
no development followed his efforts, he 
would quickly discard the exercise. 

Let a well-nourished, healthy man 
start to increase the development of his 
biceps, and if he put too great effort 
into his first exercises without produ- 
cing any noticeable result, he is likely to 
become discouraged, and unless his de- 
termination and will power are strong, 
his exercises are likely to be abandoned 
before he has accomplished what he set 
out to do. 

104 



CONCENTRATION 

Voluntary concentration of the atten- 
tion is really a "mental muscle," and its 
development depends on two things: 
First, the nutrition to the brain. Sec- 
ond, the extent to which the mental 
muscle is exercised. 

It is possible my correspondent is in 
poor health and his brain, in conse- 
quence, poorly nourished; in which case 
his exercises in concentration, no matter 
how faithfully practiced, will avail him 
but little. Or he may have attempted 
too much to begin with and become dis- 
couraged, like the healthy man over- 
exercising his biceps at the start. Or, 
perhaps, he has led a "sedentary mental 
life" heretofore, and expects to develop 
excellent powers of concentration in a 
few weeks; in which event he is like a 
man who expects to develop muscles 
rapidly in spite of having led a seden- 
tary physical life, with his muscular de- 
velopment far below par to start with. 

PASSIVE CONCENTRATION 

Perhaps my correspondent's concen- 
tration is even better than that of the 
average man, and he is merely under- 
valuing his powers. There is a great 
difference between passive concentration 
and active or voluntary concentration. 

105 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

The former requires no effort of the 
will, while the latter depends entirely 
upon the will. While we watch a good 
game of baseball, or attend an interest- 
ing play at the theater, we lose our- 
selves, so to speak, in the game or in the 
play, and it does not require an effort 
of the will to keep the mind concen- 
trated on these amusements, for passive 
concentration only is required. We lose 
ourselves in things that interest or 
amuse us. But let us endeavor to lose 
ourselves in the same way while study- 
ing Greek or Latin verbs, for instance, 
and we find we have a difficult task to 
perform. In fact, it requires an effort 
of the will to keep the mind concen- 
trated on the verbs, to say nothing of 
being able to lose ourselves. 

Consequently, if my correspondent 
believes he should be able to concentrate 
his mind as easily on a difficult study 
as he does on a play at the theater, he 
is looking for a state of concentration 
which I have never observed in anyone. 

I have been consulted by brilliant stu- 
dent? in perfect health, who stood at the 
head of their classes, in the hope that I 
could improve their memory and con- 
centration. They have complained that 

106 



CONCENTRATION 

they found it necessary to make great 
efforts to keep up their work, while fel- 
low students seemed to remember eas- 
ily. Inquiry has brought forth the fact 
that my consultant's fellow students 
were just as jealous of his ability to 
memorize and concentrate, and had to 
work equally hard for every advance 
they made in their classes. 

There is always a tendency to believe 
that other people do things and learn 
things with less effort than ourselves, 
and we are inclined to find fault and 
blame ourselves when an exceptionally 
hard task is set before us. However, 
with good health to back us, no mental 
or physical task is too great to be over- 
come if we attack it judiciously and 
courageously, with pride in our own 
powers and determination in our heart. 

If a muscle of the body is to be de- 
veloped, it must be exercised lightly at 
first, and the exercises must be taken 
faithfully every day, or possibly several 
times every day. As the development 
of the muscle increases, the length and 
vigor of the exercise can be correspond- 
ingly increased until the desired goal 
Las been reached. But a highly devel- 
oped muscle will soon retrograde unless 

107 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

constantly exercised and properly nour- 
ished, and sickness, also, soon works 
havoc with the most highly develoned 
muscular systems. 

VOLUNTARY CONCENTRATION 

Similarly, in developing voluntary 
concentration, light exercises in concen- 
trating should be used at first, and if 
the practices be kept up regularly, it 
will become possible to impose greater 
and still greater tasks upon the mind. 
But, like the physical muscle, the men- 
tal muscles will deteriorate during sick- 
ness; and they will also deteriorate 
when the individual is in health, unless 
they are regularly exercised and as reg- 
ular^ rested. 

It is, first, in keeping up the general 
health, and, second, in the wise alterna- 
tion of exercise and rest, that success in 
concentration lies. There is no wisdom 
in overwork, especially while in ill 
health. The many sad disasters and ab- 
solute failures that have followed the 
unwisely persistent use of the mental 
muscles by students are to be met wHh 
every day, both outside and inside our 
insane asylums. The college man that 
has applied himself closely all the ses- 
sion should make the most of his vaca- 

108 



CONCENTRATION 

tion. On going back to his work he will 
doubtless find that at first he does not 
concentrate so readily as he did before 
the vacation. But reinforced by the 
new store of energy, his former habits 
of concentration will speedily assert 
themselves, and he will soon be outdo- 
ing his former achievements. An over- 
amount of rest for mental as well as 
physical muscles, means deterioration; 
an over-amount of exercise means col- 
lapse, and neither extreme is desirable. 

It is not my intention to give dif:cult 
exercises for developing voluntary con- 
centration. There are many - c rarses 
and books which give these exercises 
more fully than I can at this time; but 
intricate exercises are not necessary. 
Some instructors will tell you to gaze 
at the tip of your finger and practice 
thinking only of your finger tip. You 
are asked to practice this and other 
similar exercises several times a day un- 
til you can exclude everything else from 
your mind but the tip of your finger — 
or whatever other object you may be 
looking at. Now, although practices like 
this may assist, still there are more use- 
ful and better exercises, and the person 

practicing such an exercise as gazing at 

109 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

the finger tip is apt to be misled and dis- 
couraged, if, after practicing for several 
weeks, he is still unable to exclude ev- 
erything but his finger tip from his mind 
during his practice. As a matter of fact, 
it is impossible to concentrate the mind 
upon a single object or a single thought 
for more than a few moments at a time. 

Voluntary concentration really con- 
sists in a repetition of successive efforts 
to bring back a subject to the mind. 
No one can possibly concentrate his 
mind continuously upon an object or 
subject that does not change. 

One of the simplest and best prac- 
tices for developing concentration is to 
rpad a sentence in a valuable scientific 
work, the subject-matter of which, in 
itself, is absolutely unattractive, and 
then endeavor to reproduce the idea ex- 
pressed in the sentence, either verbally 
or in writing, or both. Having succeed- 
ed in obtaining, memorizing and repro- 
ducing the ideas contained in a single 
sentence, try several sentences at a time. 
Next take whole paragraphs, then pages, 
then chapters and finally a whole book. 
There is no better exercise in memori- 
zing and concentrating, than this. 

I would say, therefore, to any reader 
110 



CONCENTRATION 

who desires to cultivate voluntary con- 
centration : 

First, look to your general health. 
See if your stomach and bowels are per- 
forming their functions properly, and if 
their work is not up to standard and 
your circulation is below par, build up 
your health by employing auto-sugges- 
tion and the life essentials as directed 
in the chapter devoted to auto-sugges- 
tion and physical troubles, and if your 
concentration has formerly been good, 
and you are in poor health now, it is 
likely your old powers of concentration 
will return as soon as your health has 
improved. 

Having built up your general health, 
begin to take a few minutes' practice in 
concentrating the attention several 
times a day, and steadily increase the 
length of time devoted to the exercises 
as you find you are improving. 

AUTO-SUGGESTION FOR CONCENTRA- 
TION 

The systematic use of auto-suggestion 
also, from the first, will prove of the 
greatest assistance to you. The involun- 
tary mind should be impressed with 
what it is expected to do, and what it 
should expect you to do. To this end 
111 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

such auto-suggestions as the following 
will prove of service: 

"My brain is now thoroughly nour- 
ished with good, pure blood, and is capa- 
ble of doing as good work as any other 
brain in existence." 



"I have mental muscles, and bv exer- 

cising these muscles faithfully day in 

and day out, I know they will develop. 

They are developing now. 

* * * 



» 



"I have will power and determination, 
and when I command my mental mus- 
cles to concentrate on something I de- 
sire to study or on something I desire 
to accomplish, they obey my will." 

* * * 

"I realize that my voluntary concen- 
tration is developing now." 

* * * 

"I can apply myself to any work or 
any study, and I enjoy concentrating my 
attention. I look forward with pleasure 
to my next exercise in concentration." 

* * * 

"My mind is clear and active and I 
can read, mark, learn and inwardly di- 

112 



CONCENTRATION 

gest anything I read or study, just as 

well as anyone else." 

* * * 

"I have taken my exercises in concen- 
tration faithfully today, and I shall in- 
crease the length of the exercises a lit- 
tle tomorrow, a little more the follow- 
ing day, and so on, day by day, until I 
can concentrate for hours when neces- 
sary." 

* * * 

"I am a strong, determined, aggres- 
sive man. I have will power, and I am 
succeeding in developing concentration 
because I always succeed in what I un- 
dertake." 

* * * 

"I find it very easy now to concen- 
trate my attention, and I make it a point 
to concentrate my whole attention on 
anything I find to do until I have accom- 
plished my task. J 



» 



Auto-suggestions in this strain should 
be repeated as often as possible every 
day — say fifty to one hundred times 
each day; and the mind should be al- 
lowed to dwell on the meaning of the 
self-assertions. 

There are two axioms every reader 
113 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

who would practice auto-suggestion 
should remember. "Thought takes form 
in action" and "A man can tell a 'story' 
so often that, eventually, he will believe 
it himself." Consequently, if an auto- 
suggestion be repeated faithfully, and 
the mind be allowed to dwell on the full 
meaning of the suggestion, the involun- 
tary mind accepts it as a fact and is in- 
fluenced accordingly. 

The involuntary mind is very sensi- 
tive. Find fault with yourself and it be- 
lieves you and influences you accord- 
ingly. Praise yourself, and it becomes 
filled with pride, and in return gives you 
confidence and courage that will take 
you safely over the roughest roads. 

We are all' endowed at birth with 
mental muscles, but in order to develop 
them we must give them proper nour- 
ishment and sufficient exercise. There 
is no short cut nor any other road to 
the development of voluntary concen- 
tration. 



114 



CHAPTEK IX- 

The Achievement of Success Through 
Auto/Suggestion 

1VT OT long ago I received a call from 
* ^ a reader of Suggestion, who 
came to thank me for the benefit he had 
received from reading the magazine. He 
is the father of a large family, and up to 
three years before he called on me, was 
in very straitened circumstances. He 
had married while drawing a meager 
salary which soon became inadequate 
to maintain his family circle, which had 
increased with appalling regularity. 
The result was that aften ten years of 
married life his health began to fail 
through overwork and incessant worry, 
% for he had contracted a burden of debts 
from which nothing but death seemed to 
give him promise of relief. There was 

115 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

no chance of his receiving an increase 
in salary where he worked, and with so 
many mouths to feed he was afraid to 
make an effort to secure a better posi- 
tion lest he might be thrown out of em- 
ployment entirely. Besides, he had lost 
ambition through sickness and worry, 
and his mind was filled with dread and 
fear for the future. 

As if this state of affairs was not bad 
enough in itself, the firm for which he 
had worked for years met with financial 
reverses, soon followed by bankruptcy, 
and he was left without employment. 

For one month he sought a new posi- 
tion in vain. He answered advertise- 
ment after advertisement and called at 
one business house after another with- 
out success. Meanwhile his mental con- 
dition grew more deplorable. 

At this juncture he met a friend who 
was a "New Thought" enthusiast, and 
this friend, after explaining to him his 
ideas of the New Thought, persuaded 
him to send ten dollars to a well-known 
"mental healer" for a month's absent 
treatment for success. At this time a 
ten-dollar bill seemed to him a large 
amount to waste on an experiment, but 
by hard work he managed to raise the 

116 



SUCCESS 

money in a few days and sent it off post- 
haste to the healer for his best success- 
thought vibrations for one month. Mean- 
while he read a great deal of New 
Thought literature loaned to him by his 
friend, and became imbued with its 
principles. 

In a few days word came to him from 
the healer that the treatment had com- 
menced and would be given at a certain 
hour each day, that he would henceforth 
be fired with new ambition, courage, 
hope, fearlessness, etc., and that success 
would be bound to follow. 

Within a week after beginning treat- 
ment he felt better mentally and phys- 
ically. Some of his old courage had 
returned to him, and he started out 
again in search of employment, thor- 
oughly believing that the success 
thoughts being sent to him by the healer 
would turn his efforts into success. 
THE TURNING OF THE TIDE 

As if a magical wand had been waved 
over him, he was offered two situations 
the first day he began his search under 
the new conditions. Neither situation 
promised him sufficient salary to support 
his family, but this measure of success 
gave him greater faith in the powers of 

117 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

his absent healer and increased his con- 
fidence in his ability to secure a good 
position eventually. Another position 
was offered him the next day, and the 
day following still another, which he 
accepted at his old salary. But the 
spirit of the New Thought was in him. 
He was enthusiastic over it, and had 
become confident of success, feeling that 
the same power that had helped to put 
him on his feet again could be used to 
advance him still farther up the hill of 
success. In consequence he kept his 
eyes and ears open to opportunity and 
sought to make opportunities, with the 
result that about the middle of the sec- 
ond month's absent treatment, for 
which he had remitted another ten dol- 
lars, he was offered and accepted a po- 
sition which paid him not only half as 
much again as his old salary, but a good 
commission besides: the amount of the 
commissions depending on his own abil- 
ity and energy. 

With "success" as his motto and confi- 
dence born of his recent successes to 
back his motto, he started to work in his 
new position, believing that if commis- 
sions were obtainable he would certainly 
have his share. 

118 



SUCCESS 

At the end of the first month he had 
doubled his old salary, and at the end 
of the third month he had trebled it. 
But regularly every month he sent ten 
dollars for his absent treatment for 
success — dreading to stop the treatment 
lest the healer's power be withdrawn 
from him and he be thrown upon his 
own resources again. 

Six months had elapsed since the be- 
ginning of the treatments, and six times 
had ten dollars been sent to the healer, 
when by accident a copy of Suggestion, 
the New Psychology magazine, came into 
his possession, along with some addi- 
tional New Psychology literature. 

It so happened that the copy of 
Suggestion he received contained an 
editorial which showed clearly and con- 
clusively that the success of absent 
treatment depends entirely on the auto- 
suggestions of the person receiving 
treatment — not on the thoughts or vi- 
brations of the so-called absent healer. 
In other words, he realized for the first 
time that the results that had followed 
the mailing of the first ten dollars to the 
healer had been brought about by the 
change of thought he had experienced; 
that by his own thinking alone he had 

119 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

aroused some power within himself 
which had changed his whole attitude 
toward the world at large and enabled 
him to turn failure into success. 

Having read the magazine through 
several times, he sent in his subscription 
for a year in advance and bought all the 
back numbers with which he could be 
supplied. 

These gave him new food for thought, 
and instead of sending ten dollars to his 
healer when his seventh month's treat- 
ment had expired, he sent five dollars 
for a work I have published on sugges- 
tive therapeutics, in which the opera- 
tions of the law of suggestion are clear- 
ly explained. 

A NEW DAY DAWNS 

The reading of this work marked a 
new epoch in his march along the road 
of success, for thereafter, instead of 
feeling that his success depended on a 
second person, he knew that the suc- 
cess he had met with had depended on 
a change made within himself uncon- 
sciously through auto-suggestion, and 
realized that it was within his own pow- 
er to make still greater changes and 
make his success still more marked 
through the, intelligent and conscious use 
of auto-suggestion. 

120 



SUCCESS 

From the moment he came to this 
conclusion he felt that he was a free 
man, and the practice of auto-suggestion 
became as important a part of his daily 
life as eating or drinking, with the re- 
sult that his confidence in himself, his 
determination to succeed, his aggres- 
siveness and his fearlessness developed 
rapidly. 

Before he had been one year in his 
new position he was earning as much in 
one month as he had previously earned 
in six months; he had outstripped not 
only all the other employees of his own 
firm, but excelled those of other firms 
engaged in similar business. 

Flattering offers came to him from 
other firms, but his employers, rather 
than lose his services, gave him an in- 
terest in their firm at a lucrative salary, 
and placed him at the head of one of the 
most important departments of their 
business. 

It was two years after receiving this 
promotion that he called on me, and the 
two years had been years of prosperity 
and success. 

Although he was about to take a two 

months' vacation with his family, he 

looked as if he had always enjoyed per- 

121 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

feet health, and he informed me that 
since studying suggestive therapeutics 
he had been able to keep himself and his 
family in excellent health. 

Now I do not claim that eveiyone 
who will employ auto-suggestion faith- 
fully will achieve success as quickly and 
as markedly as the man whose case I 
have cited. But by learning how to em- 
ploy auto-suggestion, and by using it 
faithfully, he can keep himself in such 
a mental attitude that he is prepared to 
grasp an opportunity when it presents 
itself. But a man who has developed 
self-confidence, determination, aggres- 
siveness and fearlessness by using auto- 
suggestion will not sit idle waiting for 
opportunities to come to him. Instead, 
he will go in search of them, and if none 
seem available he will make them him- 
self. 

Everyone should study the law of sug- 
gestion and learn how to employ auto- 
suggestion. A person who does this will 
never enslave himself by feeling that his 
health and success depend on the 
thought forces of some healer a thou- 
sand miles away. Instead, he will be- 
come conscious of the marvelous powers 

of his own mind; he will be left inde- 

122 



SUCCESS 

pendent in thought and action, and can 
assist Very greatly in making his life and 
success conform to his ideals. 

For the benefit of any who may desire 
to use auto-suggestion for bringing about 
the mental attitude that encourages 
success, I will give an outline of auto- 
suggestions I recommend. These should 
be repeated earnestly to one's self many 
times every day. The mind should be 
allowed to dwell for a moment on each 
auto-suggestion till its full meaning is 
grasped. I have given only a few, but 
many more can be introduced to suit the 
individual requirements. 

All auto-suggestions should be en- 
couraging, optimistic, positive and af- 
firmative. 

AUTO-SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS 

I am gaining in health by thinking 
thoughts of health and partaking prop- 
erly of tKe life essentials. 
* * * 

I am becoming a strong man in every 
sense of the word. I am a strong man 
NOW. 

* * 4s 

Since my strength has increased I 
have more determination, more confi- 

123 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

dence in myself, and more aggressive- 
ness. 

I am filled to overflowing with confi- 
dence and aggressiveness. I feel that I 
must go out amongst men and let them 
feel my confidence, my aggressiveness 

and my strength. 

* * * 

I am a strong man. 

* * * 

I am a fearless man. 

* * * 

I am an ambitions man. I have an 
object now in life. I desire to be a suc- 
cess. 

* * * 

I CAN" and I WILL be successful in 

everything I undertake. 

* * * 

I have all the attributes essential to 

success. 

* * * 

I am strong physically; I have deter- 
mination, kindly aggressiveness, confi- 
dence and fearlessness. With these at- 
tributes I can succeed in anything hon- 
orable I undertake. 

* * * 

First I make sure I am right in my 
undertakings and then my aggressive- 

124 



SUCCESS 

ness and fearlessness carry me through 
ever3 T thing. 

I make friends wherever I go. Every- 
one likes me, and when I approach a 
person on a business proposition I suc- 
ceed because I know I am right, and my 
strength, determination, aggressiveness, 
and earnestness win the day for me. 

I AM A SUCCESS. 

* * * 

I work earnestly and faithfully every 
day to do my best during the day, and 
I am always on the alert to take advan- 
tage of every opportunity that presents 

itself. 

* * * 

I SUCCEED BECAUSE I AM A 

SUCCESS. 



125 



CHAPTEE X 
Autosuggestion and Success 

OVEE a year ago I received a letter 
from a correspondent asking me 
what he should do to make a success of 
himself in business. He said that he 
had never made a success of anything; 
had managed to eke out a bare exist- 
ence, but felt he lacked the force, or 
something, that would enable him to be 
successful; that many good opportuni- 
ties had opened for him but he had 
failed to grasp them properly or had 
been afraid to venture; that his con- 
tinual poor luck had made him timid, 
ambitionless and melancholic; that his 
health was poor as a consequence of the 
constant worry his failures had brought 
to him, etc. 

So this man thought and so he was — ■ 
126 



SUCCESS 

but he is succeeding now. I wrote to 
him to come to me personally for treat- 
ment. He came, and inside of one 
month this man's mind was filled with 
strong, determined, forceful, confident, 
aggressive thoughts, and his health im- 
proved from the first. He left me be- 
lieving he could make a success of any- 
thing to which he applied himself, and, 
as I said before, he has succeeded be- 
yond his highest expectations. I made 
him change his habit of thinking by the 
intelligent use of auto-suggestion. 

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is 
tie." 

To suit our present purpose this quo- 
tation might read: 

"A man is what his auto-suggestions 
make him!" And I should like to add: 
"Change a man's, auto-suggestions and 
you change the man." 

When this patient came to me I ex- 
plained the meaning of the term auto- 
suggestion and how by voluntary auto- 
suggestion the involuntary mind can be 
influenced to habitually think the 
thoughts a person desires it to think. 
Then I taught him how to build up his 
health by proper thinking and the ju- 
dicious use of the life essentials. Sea 

127 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

Chapter II. In a few days his health 
improved greatly, and I made use of the 
improvement in health as a basis for his 
auto-suggestions. 

The auto-suggestions employed, with 
slight variations, will be found in the 
preceding chapter. 



My patient repeated to himself auto- 
suggestions similar to these, hundreds of 
times every day, till his mind was filled 
with them and his actions were governed 
accordingly. In fact, he told himself 
these stories so often that in the end 
he believed them to be true; and his ac- 
tions and subsequent success proved 
that they were true. 

Now this is not an exceptional case. 
I have seen the same results follow in 
scores of cases under the same line of 
auto-suggestive treatment. Examine 
the auto-suggestions and you will see 
they are all strong, encouraging asser- 
tions. Some reader may say the sugges- 
tions outlined are too boastful — but per- 
mit me to say to any objecting reader 
who may not have made a success in life, 

128 



SUCCESS 

that perhaps a little of this kind of 
boasting on the side — aye, even to your 
intimates — will not injure your pros- 
pects in the least, and it may enable you 
to amount to something in the end. As- 
sumption is half the battle of life, 
"Stick to it" and "Get there," the other 
half; and if a timid nonentity will use 
these auto-suggestions with the assump- 
tion that they are true and stick to them 
faithfully, he will "get there" in spite 
of his old self or anyone else, I care not 
in what walk or station in life he may 
find himself. 

It is very becoming in a man who has 
made a success in life to be modest 
about his success, but self-depreciation 
never made a success of anyone. Point 
to any successful man in the country 
and you will be pointing to a man who 
made a success because he had determi- 
nation and believed in himself and his 
powers. 

But it is not sufficient for a man to 
make the auto-suggestions for success 
and then wait for success to come to 
him. No! He must go over the auto- 
suggestions till they are in his mind all 
the time. He must think of the mean- 
ing of the auto-suggestions as he repeats 

129 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

them till he can feel their influence and 
then he must go out and "hustle." He 
must do the best he can at everything 
he finds to do, backed up by the thought 
that he is in line for promotion in some 
way or other, or that his present work 
is merely a stepping-stone to his ulti- 
mate success. A man who "knows" that 
he is bound to be a success is always on 
the alert to grasp opportunities, whereas 
the opportunities invariably pass unno- 
ticed by the ambitionless man who has 
resigned himself to the buffetings of 
fate, belieying that success has nothing 
in common with him. 

I have had the pleasure of reading 
Prentice Mulford's "The Drawing Pow- 
ers of the Mind." I am afraid poor 
Prentice ,put the cart before the horse 
in selecting the title for his booklet and 
in the theories advanced in it, for the 
mind never drew anything. Your at- 
tention riveted upon an object will take 
you to it or will so influence your un- 
conscious thoughts and unconscious ac- 
tions that although it appears to be 
drawn to you, you have actually gone 
after it. 

You may dislike a person, but for rea- 
sons politic you determine not to show 

130 



SUCCESS 

your dislike. You may even go out of 
your way in an endeavor to make your- 
self agreeable to the object of your dis- 
like; still in some way or other a cold- 
ness will spring up between you, and the 
dislike becomes common and may end 
in an open rupture without either per- 
son being able to explain how the dis- 
like was uncovered. The explanation is 
simple. Thought takes form in action, 
and the dislike will so influence your 
actions that you will betray yourself by 
a look or a nudge or some other uncon- 
scious slight. The action may be wholly 
involuntary or unconscious on your part, 
and it may be just as unconsciously no- 
ticed on the part of the other person; 
but his involuntary mind takes cogni- 
zance of the action, the seed of dis- 
cord is sown in his mind also, and the 
damage is done. 

Similarly you may cherish a strong 
desire to go somewhere, to do something 
or to possess something. You may not 
deem your desire reasonable nor within 
the realm of possibility at the time, but 
your actions, conversations and decisions 
will be influenced by this desire in vari- 
ous ways. Although it may take years 
for you to satisfy your desire, still that 

131 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

desire is usually gratified by the open- 
ing up of ways and means, and this open- 
ing up, although it may appear accident- 
al, is, nine times out of ten, the direct 
result of actions unconsciously per- 
formed through the promptings of your 
desire. 

Consequently, in assuming that you 
are bound to be a success, that you are 
strong, determined, fearless; that you 
AEE a success, etc., your thoughts influ- 
ence your actions, which in turn pave the 
way to success, and sooner or later you 
find yourself surprisingly confronted 
with your own brilliant achievements. 

I shall conclude this chapter by quo- 
ting one of Dorothy Dix's fables in slang 
which appeared recently in the Chicago 
"Examiner," While it may not be couched 
in language that would be chosen by a 
college professor, still it is undoubtedly 
very clever, very true, and decidedly 
apropos. It is Dorothy's way of giving 
an illustration of the results that can be 
brought about by the use of auto-sug- 
gestion. The title, "Successful Auto- 
suggestions for Success," would fit it 
well, but she — well, Fll let her tell it 
herself: 

132 



SUCCESS 

FABLE OF THE MODEST OCAPI 

By Dorothy Dix. 

(Copyright, 1903, by W. R. Hearst.) 

Once upon a Time there was a Poor 
but Honest Oeapi who found it neces- 
sary to Cinch some Job whereby he 
might earn his Beer and Pretzels. 

Now, the Oeapi was an Industrious 
and Intelligent young Creature, but un- 
fortunately he was possessed of the Vice 
of Modesty, and instead of putting up a 
Chesty Front and giving himself the 
Glad Hand he went about Bearing his 
own Stock. 

"It is True/' he would say to those 
to whom he applied for Work, "that I 
do not understand your Graft, nor can I 
recommend myself very highly, for I am 
not one of the Mfty Boys who aro al- 
ways Johnny-on-the-Spot. Neither am 
I one of the Cute ones who can pick 
them right going and coming, but I am 
a Cheap Skate who would be willing to 
work for his board and clothes and, in 
time, with Patience and Forbearance, I 
might catch on." 

"Mxerina, not us," replied the Bulls 
he was trying to hold up, "for we are 
not running a kindergarten, and when 

133 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 



we invest our stuff in an Employe we do 
not buy Dead Ones." 

It chanced that the Ocapi was also in 
love, and here, too, his Modesty queered 
the game, for, approaching his Divinity, 
he thus addressed her: 

"Beauteous One, be Mine," he cried. 
"Alas! I know that I am not Worthy 
of you, for I have not lived a Life that 
has caused me to be Held up as an Ex- 
ample to youth to follow, nor have I 
been able to acquire enough of the 
Needful to keep me off the Cinder Path, 
while, as you see, Nature framed me up 
in a way that makes me a bum looker. 
Still my Heart is in the Right Place and 
it is yours for Keeps." 

"Forget it!" cried the little Tigress, 
giving him the Ice, "for when I start out 
to look for a husband I am not going 
to take a Left-Over Eemnant off the Job 
Lot Counter." 

At these words the Ocapi was very 
sad, and sitting down by the roadside he 
began to bemoan his Cruel Fate with 
many Weeps. This attracted the atten- 
tion of a Compassionate Owl who hap- 
pened to pass that way and who stopped 
and inquired the cause of the Oeapi's 
Sorrow. 

134 



SUCCESS 

"Woe is me!" cried the Ocapi, "for I 
perceive that Fate has given me the 
Double Cross, and it's me to take a cute 
little dose of Eough on Eats and drill 
away from a World where Modest Merit 
is not Appreciated." 

"What is your Trouble?" inquired the 
Owl. 

"No one will back me for the Kace of 
Life," replied the Ocapi, although I en- 
tered myself as a Hundred-to-One-Shot, 
and when I humbly kow-towed at the 
Tigress' feet all that I got was a Kick 
in the Neck." 

"This is not the first time," quoth the 
Owl with great sagacity, "that I have 
been called upon to Observe that Mod- 
esty is generally a Frost, and that if we 
want anybody to Blow our Horns we 
must do it ourselves. Your mistake has 
been in touting yourself as a Selling 
Plater instead of a Hot Favorite. Cop- 
per that. Go back and spraddle the 
news around that you are a four-ply 
baby and a winner, and that everything 
that goes down on you is educated 
money." 

Thus adjured the Ocapi rigged him- 
self up in chappy clothes and butted 

into a Business office with his Panama 

135 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

on the side of his head and four yards 
of watch chain across his Breast: 

"Say, you!" he said, addressing the 
Proprietor, "why don't yon wake up and 
get a move on. Whenever you want 
somebody to teach you how to tear things 
off and make your rivals look like thirty 
cents Fm the Goods, but Fm a high- 
priced Prima Donna and there's no use 
in shaking the Long Green at me unless 
you are ready to put up for an Expert." 

"Ha!" cried the Proprietor, "this is 
the genuine thing and we will make 
haste to engage his services before some 
one steals him away from us, for we 
opine that he would not have the Nerve 
to ask so much unless he knew his Eeal 
Value." 

Thereupon they engaged the Ocapi at 
a large and juicy salary, and as he was 
in reality a clever and worthy creature 
he soon made Good. Seeing that he had 
bluffed out on one hand, the Ocapi en- 
cored the performance and again ap- 
proached the Tigress and renewed his 
suit, but instead of groveling at her 
Tootsy- Wootsies he Looked down upon 
her from a Pedestal. 

"I feel," he said, "that it is the Sa- 
136 



SUCCESS 

cred Duty of a Strong and Noble Mascu- 
line Creature to Marry and protect some 
Female, and while of course I do not 
expect any mere Female Creature to be 
able to really Appreciate me or come up 
to my Ideal, I apprehend that you will 
come as near filling the Bill as anyone, 
so I have decided to confer the Honor 
upon you of Lockstepping to the altar 
with me." 

"How Good and Kind you are," cried 
the Tigress, "and how Grateful I am to 
have Won the Affection of such a Supe- 
rior Being." 

"This," said the Ocapi to himself, "is 
where I cut out Modesty forever, for I 
perceive that the World takes us at our 
Own Valuation, and that it is up to us 
to always mark the Price Tag up High." 

Moral : This Fable teaches us that we 
should always Speak Well of Ourselves, 
or Nobody Else Will. 



187 



CHAPTEK XI 

Auto/Suggestion and Breathing Exercises 

WOULD it not seem ridiculous if 
we found it necessary to in- 
struct our horses or dogs how to 
breathe? These animals live almost al- 
together out of doors, take plenty of ex- 
ercise, and in consequence breathe as 
Nature intended them to breathe. 

But man, poor man, will live and work 
in stuffy offices and homes,, without ex- 
ercise, till he runs down physically 
through lack of fresh air — actually 
starving for air; and yet, when he real- 
izes that he must take more fresh air 
into his lungs in order to regain his 
health, he may wait weeks or months 
before making a start in order that he 
may be certain to begin with some sys- 
tem of breathing that is recognized as 

being correct. 

138 



BREATHING EXERCISES 

I have received hundreds of letters 
asking me what system of breathing I 
advise my patients to take, and from 
these I have selected the following typ- 
ical letter: 

"I read, with a great deal of interest and 
profit, your article, "How to Keep Healthy in 
Winter," which appeared in a recent number 
of Suggestion. Now I know a person should 
drink about two quarts of water per day and 
should eat a fair amount of wholesome food. 
These are two of the "life essentials," but the 
third essential, air, has to be obtained by exer- 
cises in breathing. I have paid attention to 
my liquids and food, but am waiting for some 
instructions in the proper method of breathing. 
There are so many systems of breathing advo- 
cated that I have never known which to 
choose, and I turn to you for advice. 

"There must be a right way and a wrong 
way to breathe, and before taking up regular 
breathing exercises, I want to know the best 
method to pursue. 

"I might add that I have been a chronic 
sufferer for years, but since reading Sugges- 
tion I have been looking after the 'life essen- 
tials,' and have improved wonderfully since 
eating and drinking properly, but I have hesi- 
tated to take breathing exercises until, as I 
said before, I knew the proper method to use." 

This letter is on a par with another 
I received from a man who said he was 
saving up to buy a water-distilling appa- 
ratus before he would increase his liquids 
to the allotted two quarts per diem. Both 
these men remind me of the man who 

was burned to d°ath because he hesitated 

139 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

too long for fear he would take cold if 
he left his burning house in his night- 
gown. 

If you discover today that you have 
been drinking only a quart of fluids a 
day, when you require two quarts, don't 
wait to get a distilling apparatus, but 
start in at once to increase your fluids. 
Drink boiled water if it is handy, and 
if there is no boiled water at hand and 
your supply of drinking water is con- 
sidered bad, drink the best bad water 
you can get; but drink the water first 
and send for your still afterward. You 
will make more trouble in your physical 
system by denying yourself water be- 
cause it is said to be bad, than by drink- 
ing all your system requires, even if ,the 
water be bad. 

And so it is with breathing. If you 

find you have not been getting sufficient 

air into your lungs, get out doors and 

breathe air. Or if you are shut up in 

an office in which the air is not good, 

get fresh air into the room if you can; 

and if you cannot improve the air, then 

breathe in more of the bad air and take 

steps afterward to change the system of 

ventilation; and when you get out of 

doors endeavor to make up for the .bad 

140 



BREATHING EXERCISES 

air you were forced to breathe while in- 
doors — breathe; breathe deeply anyhow, 
in any way yon know, and hunt up your 
systems of breathing later if you are 
determined to have a system for taking 
every breath. 

SYSTEMS OF BREATHING 

I am not ridiculing the various sys- 
tems of breathing that are taught. I 
believe thoroughly in them all, no mat- 
ter how different they may be, and I be- 
lieve one system is as good as another 
— any system will do if the exercises are 
taken faithfully with a definite purpose 
in mind. All these systems of breathing 
perform a double purpose. First, the 
person practicing them faithfully cer- 
tainly gets more air into his lungs than 
if he took no exercises at all. Second, 
every time a breathing exercise is ta- 
ken., it is taken for a purpose, and the 
purpose kept in mind tends to material- 
ize, for thought takes form in action. 
In other words, consciously or uncon- 
sciously, the auto-suggestions which in- 
variably accompany the exercises assist 
in bringing about the desired results. 

A person who is strong and healthy 
usually breathes deeply and gets all the 
air he requires without conscious effort. 

141 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

He needs no system of breathing. But 
a person who is run down physically 
seldom breathes deeply, for the impulses 
to the organs of respiration become 
feeble in proportion to the decline in 
health. Consequently, if a person's 
health is below par, it is important that 
his attention be called to the necessity 
for helping himself to as much air as 
he should take if in perfect health. 

It is not necessary that a patient of 
this kind shall breathe according to any 
particular system. All he need do is to 
breathe until he is conscious of having 
taken more air into his lungs than usual, 
and the beneficial effects will follow if 
he breathes deeply for a few minutes 
eight or ten times a day. But merely 
telling a man he must breathe more air 
is not sufficient to secure the desired re- 
sults in the average person. He may 
think of it now and again, for a day or 
two, and then forget to make farther 
efforts to breathe deeply, and here is 
where the value of employing some sys- 
tem of breathing comes in, for the mere 
act of breathing in an unusual manner, 
as required by the exercises, calls to 
mind the necessity for deep breathing, 
many times during the day, and the 

142 



BREATHING EXERCISES 

exercises taken accordingly require an 
effort of the will in their accomplish- 
ment, and in this way strengthen the 
auto-suggestions. 

The best and proper way to breathe is 
"abdominal breathing." Men, as a rule, 
especially in health, breathe from the 
abdomen, but women, from wearing cor- 
sets and hanging heavy clothing around 
their waists, breathe, usually, from the 
chest. 

Here is the way to breathe from the 
abdomen : 

Take a full, long, deep breath, so deep 
that not only is the chest raised, but you 
are also conscious that the abdomen has 
been distended. Now hold the chest up 
and keep it distended and let the breath 
out gradually by drawing the abdomen 
in and up. When the air is forced out 
of the lungs by contracting the abdo- 
men and drawing it up., take in another 
breath till the abdomen is again dis- 
tended, and continue breathing this way, 
all the time holding the chest up so that 
there is very little motion in it. 

ADVANTAGES OF ABDOMINAL BREATH- 
ING 

Abdominal breathing has a double 

effect. It enables one to fill his lungs to 

143 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

their greatest capacity, and the move- 
ment of the abdomen acts as a massage 
to the intestines and stomach. I have 
seen constipation of twenty years* stand- 
ing overcome in a few days by abdominal 
breathing. The patient was in good 
health otherwise, looked after the life 
essentials well, but breathed entirely 
from the chest, not a movement of the 
abdomen being discernible. The change 
to abdominal breathing worked like a 
charm. 

Abdominal breathing is the one 
breathing exercise I require all patients 
to use. They may practice other exer- 
cises recommended by others if they de- 
sire, or can make up exercises for them- 
selves, but I keep them practicing the 
abdominal breathing until it has become 
a habit. It can be practiced either sit- 
ting or standing, or lying down, but 
should be practiced consciously for 
several minutes at a time, eight or ten 
times a day, until it has become a habit. 

A good way to practice this method 
of breathing is while walking. 

Hold yourself erect, fill the lungs, 
then let out the breath while taking five 
or six steps and take it in during the 
next five or six steps. Brisk walking 

144 



BREATHING EXERCISES 

increases the value of this exercise, and 
the steps with each inhalation or each 
exhalation can be increased to seven or 
eight. Endeavor to breathe through 
the nostrils while taking this exercise. 

A person whose health is below par 
should pay careful attention to the life 
essentials; and in helping himself to air 
he is endeavoring to accomplish a pur- 
pose: He uses auto-suggestion with 
every breath taken through design, and 
many of the remarkable results that 
have followed the practice of some sys- 
tem of breathing and exercising have 
been due to auto-suggestion rather than 
to the special system employed. This 
being the case, I would recommend ev- 
eryone who practices deep breathing to 
formulate his auto-suggestions and go 
over them in his mind every time he 
goes through the exercises, for in this 
way he can heighten their effect. 

So much can be accomplished through 
the intelligent use of auto-suggestion, 
not only in improving the physical 
health, but in bringing about desirable 
mental conditions and influencing our 
daily lives, that it is a good plan to study 
the auto-suggestions that will benefit 
us, and employ them faithfully. But it 

145 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

is difficult sometimes to remember to 
use ihe auto-suggestions regularly. For 
this Teason it is always desirable to have 
some practical thing to enable us to re- 
call I hem, and breathing exercises will 
do this admirably. In fact, in my prac- 
tice, I frequently prescribe deep breath- 
ing exercises, even for patients who do 
not require them, for I know that every 
time the exercises are practiced the auto- 
suggestions I desire my patient to re- 
peat are recalled to his mind. In this 
way I have seen severe mental troubles 
overcome. 

BREATHING AND AUTO-SUGGESTION 

Not long ago I saw an advertisement 
which said that worry and fear could be 
overcome in a short time. The pur- 
chaser was given directions for abdom- 
inal breathing and told to practice it 
often. Many wonderful results followed 
the practice of this secret, but the re- 
sults were produced not so much by the 
breathing as by the auto-suggestions 
which necessarily accompanied the ex- 
ercise^ 

I would say, therefore, to anyone who 
may be practicing breathing exercises, 

or to anyone who expects to start deep 

146 



BREATHING EXERCISES 

breathing, "Go ahead with your exer- 
cises, breathe in any way that will en- 
able you to get plenty of air into your 
lungs, giving the preference to abdomi- 
nal breathing, but take the exercises 
frequently, every day; and remember to 
employ auto-suggestions while you ex- 
ercise, for you would not be taking the 
exercises unless you expected to accom- 
plish something through them, and the 
mind is such an important factor in 
bringing about the results you desire, 
that you should direct your thoughts 
systematically and intelligently." 

For instance, if you are breathing to 
improve your general health, use auto- 
suggestions like the following: 
* ♦ * 

This air is one of the life essentials. 
I am now breathing deeply and it feels 
so good to get this fresh air into my 
lungs. I know I shall feel better for it. 



This fresh air will have a beneficial 
effect on my whole system. It will 
make me sleep soundly, help me to di- 
gest my food and improve the quality 
of my blood; and the massage resulting 
from the abdominal breathing will make 

147 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

my bowels move regularly every morn- 
ing. 

* * * 

This deep breathing is stimulating me 
mentally and physically. I feel strong- 
er already. My mind seems clearer. I 
feel bright and happy and cheerful. I 
know I shall be made perfectly well 

again. 

* * * 

Every deep breath stimulates the 
heart's action and in this way assures 
better nutrition to every cell in the 

bodv. 

* * * 

I enjoy these breathing exercises and 

will remember to take them frequently. 

* * * 

Note. — Go over these or similar auto- 
suggestions earnestly, not automatical- 
ly, and vary them to suit the individual 
requirements, remembering that thought 
takes form in action. 



148 



CHAPTER XII 

AutoSuggestion; Its Influence on Health 
in the Winter 

IF IT were not for the great increase 
in sickness during the winter 
months, thousands of physicians now 
practicing in the United States would 
be forced to seek ways of making a liv- 
ing other than prescribing or dispens- 
ing medicines for the suffering sick. A 
large percentage of the medical profes- 
sion is comparatively idle during the 
summer months; but by collecting his 
fees from patients who have run up 
accounts with him during the winter 
months, the physician is able to tide 
over the slack season. 

Now, the cause for this phenomenon 
is not difficult to find, for it can be 
traced very directly, first, to the great 

149 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

difference between the methods of par- 
taking of the life essentials in winter 
and in summer; and, second,, to the de- 
pressed mental attitude so many people 
allow themselves to fall into at the ap- 
proach of winter, and their fearful an- 
ticipation of the dangers they think it 
necessarily brings. 

The fact is, that health is quite as 
easily maintained, generally speaking, in 
winter as in any other season, if one 
only observes the necessary conditions. 

As already implied, these conditions 
— and they are all very simple — are 
both physical — that is to say, material 
— and mental. I shall speak first of the 
material conditions, or agencies, then of 
the right mental attitude and how it 
may be strengthened by auto-sugges- 
tion. 

Many will say that the clothing worn 
is an essential consideration, but I do 
not intend to enter here into a discus- 
sion of the clothing question. It has 
been discussed over and over again by 
persons looked upon as eminent author- 
ities — no two of whom can agree. Still 
the fact remains that there are healthy 
people who wear flannel underclothing 

150 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

and healthy people who wear cotton un- 
derclothing; healthy people who wear 
heavy clothing and healthy people who 
wear light clothing; and one man I 
know wears neither underclothing nor 
an overcoat during the winter. Still I 
have met this man on the street in a 
northern state when the thermometer 
was registering 32 degrees below zero, 
and he boasts that he has never been 
sick for a day in his life. 

I know men who wear heavy clothing 
in the winter who are always sick; men 
who wear light clothing who are sick. 
In fact, you will find sick men in flan- 
nel underclothing, sick men in cotton 
underclothing, and sick men who wear 
no underclothing at all. Consequently, 
it stands to reason that health cannot 
depend greatly on the clothing worn, 
and no set of rules can apply to all. If 
a man has «good health when winter sets 
in and looks after the life essentials 
properly, he can accustom himself to 
wear any kind of clothing and maintain 
his health during the winter months, 
whether his clothing be red, white, blue 
or black, light or heavy, cotton or flan- 
nel. 

151 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 
BATHING 

How to bathe during the winter is an- 
other subject on which there is an end- 
less variety of opinions, but there are 
healthy men who bathe every morning 
in cold water, healthv men who bathe 
daily in warm or tepid water, healthy 
men who bathe in cold or hot water 
©nee or twice a week, or perhaps 
only once or twice a month; and there 
are healthy men who never bathe during 
the whole winter. Again, we can find 
sick men who bathe daily, or weekly, 
or monthly, and sick men who never 
bathe during the winter. So that health 
cannot depend entirely upon the style 
of bath one takes nor upon how often 
the bath is taken. Bathing in the win- 
ter, like the clothes one wears, can be 
regulated by the healthy man — to suit 
his inclinations, his convenience and his 
views on bathing for health or cleanli- 
ness — without impairing his health, if 
he partakes properly of the life essen- 
tials day in and day out. Personally, I 
favor frequent bathing; not that I be- 
lieve it has the great influence over 
health that many would have us believe, 
but on account of a belief in cleanliness 

152 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

and a desire for it, for pure cleanliness' 
sake. This desire, however, is probably 
the result of early training; for many 
a man who has not received that train- 
ing may have just as good health as I 
claim to have, and never bathe once 
during the winter. Again, it is largely 
a matter of what one becomes accus- 
tomed to. 

On the Motzorongo plantation in 
Mexico one "gang" of peons was ordered 
to chop down the trees along the Mot- 
zorongo river, but they would not agree 
to carry out the work if it was neces- 
sary for them to so much as put their 
feet in the water. I was surprised at 
this, for a few days before I had seen 
another "gang" of peons sawing a felled 
tree into sections while standing in 
water up to their waists. In fact, I se- 
cured a photograph of the group which 
showed that the cross-cut saws with 
which they were working were actually 
submerged. On making inquiry, I found 
that these two gangs of workmen be- 
longed to two different tribes of Indi- 
ans. One gang came from a section of 
the country where there was an abun- 
dance of water, and all were expert 
swimmers and enjoyed the daily bath. 

153 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

The other gang came from a section *rf 
the country where water is very scarce 
and seldom used except for drinking 
purposes, their women having to walk 
long distances to do the family wash- 
ing. These Indians, I discovered, never 
voluntarily wash their bodies the whole 
year round and the only bath they ever 
get is from the soaking they receive oc- 
casionally while working in the rain. 
And yet every man in both these gangs 
appears to have excellent health and all 
certainly look strong and robust. But 
they all get plenty of fresh air, drink 
freely of water and eat plenty of their 
native foods and fruits. In other words, 
they all partake freely of the life es- 
sentials. 

It is possible to have health in win- 
ter, in any kind of clothing, with any 
kind of bathing or in any style of house, 
whether well heated or very cold, for 
healthy persons are found living under 
all these extremes and conditions. But 
let a person living under any of these 
conditions neglect the life essentials for 
awhile, and a decline in his health will 
follow at once; and if the neglect be 

continued he is open to the inroads of 

154 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

any disease with which he may come 
into contact. 

NEGLECTED LIFE ESSENTIALS 

The two life essentials generally neg- 
lected in the winter season are air and 
water. During the summer season the 
average man spends more hours in the 
open air. He may be shut up in a poor- 
ly ventilated office during business 
hours, but he walks to business or rides 
on an open street car in the morning. 
His lunch hour is generally spent in the 
open air. He walks or rides home at 6 
p. m., and his evenings till 10 p. m. are 
generally spent out of doors. Even his 
office is better ventilated in the summer, 
for all windows are thrown open. 
There are half holidays and whole holi- 
days and Sundays, all of which are 
spent in the open air in the summer; 
while children live almost entirely in 
the open air during the warm weather. 

But during the winter months a man 
usually rides in closed, crowded street 
cars, in which the air is very poor, and 
he generally spends his whole day in a 
close,, stuffy atmosphere in an office in 
which the windows are seldom opened. 

He hurries home in a crowded car to 
155 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

spend his evening indoors. The chil- 
dren, also, seldom get as much fresh air 
in winter as in summer. 

This failure to get sufficient fresh air 
during the winter is in itself an impor- 
tant factor in the development and 
spreading of disease. Then, again, the 
average person drinks less water during 
the winter. In summer a healthy man 
perspires freely and exercises more. 
There are soda-water fountains on 
every corner in our cities. Everything 
tends to produce and suggest thirst dur- 
ing the summer months, and men, 
women and . children drink more freely 
than in winter. 

Consequently in summer, as a rule, 
people breathe plenty of fresh air and 
drink plenty of liquids, and when a per- 
son breathes properly and drinks prop- 
erly his elimination is good, all the se- 
cretions of his body are plentifully sup- 
plied, and he will digest and assimilate 
his food properly unless he eats an ab- 
normal quantity. Even persons who 
habitually eat too much feel better dur- 
ing the warm weather, as the fresh air 
and water they get enable them to di- 
gest, assimilate and eliminate better. 



156 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

Of course there are many who become 
sick during the summer months from 
drinking too much cold liquid; for 
drinking, like anything else, can be 
overdone, whether the liquids drunk be 
hot or cold. But, as I have already said, 
the average amount of sickness during 
the winter months is greatly in excess 
of the average amount of sickness in 
summer, and the difference is directly 
attributable to other causes I have point- 
ed out. 

Mark the great increase in sickness 
during the holiday season. It is three 
months since the really warm weather, 
and unconsciously the am.nnt of water 
drunk daily in summer has been re- 
duced. In consequence, the secretions 
of the body have grown markedly less; 
and digestion, assimilation and elimina- 
tion are not so good. Then comes 
Christmas, the holiday week and New 
Year's, with all the good things on the 
table — everything gotten up to tempt 
the palate. And how we tuck in and eat 
as if we never tasted food before — men, 
women and children, particularly the 
children (and especially the grown-ups). 

At that time the stomach is overloaded 

157 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

day after day, the diminished quantity 
of gastric juice is unable to perform 
such heroic work, the other digestive 
organs are as badly off, and in short, 
the organs of digestion and assimilation 
balk in their work; but not before the 
whole circulation is overloaded with the 
excess of waste products that the over- 
worked organs of elimination have failed 
to carry away. The result is inevitable; 
the percentage of sick persons and the 
percentage of deaths go up with leaps 
and bounds, and our physicians "get 
busv." 

WHY LIQUIDS ARE NEEDED 

In order to have good health during 
the winter it is necessary to breathe as 
much fresh air and drink as much liquid 
daily as during the summer months. 
Of course many drink too much during 
the summer, but the average quantity 
required by the average adult is two 
quarts — about eight to ten glassfuls ev- 
ery twenty-four hours — and children 
should drink in proportion to their size 
and age; a simple rule for children is to 
drink one glassful of liquid for every 
ten pounds they weigh until they tip the 

scales at seventy pounds; and half a 

158 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

glass for every fifteen pounds in excess 
of this weight. 

It is difficult to make the average man 
believe he requires as much water in 
winter as in summer for he will tell you 
that since he perspires freely in summer 
he has to drink more to make up for 
the liquids lost through the skin, while 
in winter his skin is comparatively in- 
active. He forgets that in warm weather 
his skin is doing nearly all the work of 
elimination that his kidneys have to do 
in the winter. 

I shall say but little about the food 
to be taken during the winter. Bread, 
butter, beefsteak, potatoes, eggs and 
milk contain all the food essentials re- 
quired to make strength and sustain 
health. To these can be added other 
meats, vegetables, fruits, cereals, etc.; 
but everything should be properly pre- 
pared, taken in moderation and tfioi- 
oughly masticated. 

To people who would keep their 
health in winter I would say, bathe 
yourselves and clothe yourselves as suits 
best vour convenience and comfort, 
keeping an eye to cleanliness for the 

sake of cleanliness. Eat moderately 

159 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

three times a day of good, wholesome, 
well-cooked foods. Breathe plenty of 
fresh air and drink two quarts of liquids 
per day. The two quarts, by the way, 
may be made up of tea, coffee, milk or 
water. Avoid drinking too much tea or 
coffee — a little of either or both will 
not hurt you, if you are in good health, 
but keep up the daily average by drink- 
ing milk or water, or hot milk or hot 
water, or hot water and hot milk. There 
is nothing nicer or better, however, 
than a glass of pure cool water — not 
iced water. 

Many persons look forward to the ap- 
proach of winter with dread and fear of 
sickness. They expect a return of "my 
usual winter cold/' "my usual sore 
throat," "my old neuralgia," "my rheu- 
matism," or an attack of La Grippe, 
and for thair children they see nothing 
ahe°.d hat scarlet fever, diphtheria, sore 
throats, etc. Now these fears in them- 
selves are sufficient to produce their 
"usual" complaints, owing to the way 
such misguided people wrap themselves 
up and stay in the house, in an effort to 
stave off the complaints; and in so do- 
ing the life essentials are neglected. 

160 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

And such "care" is taken of the poor 
children that they, also, are denied the 
life essentials. 

CAUSE OF DISEASE 

One would think that sore throats, 
neuralgia, colds, etc., were things that 
lurked in dark places in the summer 
and blossomed forth in the winter like 
a plant in springtime; whereas they are 
troubles which develop within the human 1 
being himself when he shuts himself up 
during the winter and neglects the life 
essentials. 

Keep a healthy child shut up for sev- 
eral days in a warm room in winter and 
he becomes fretful and peevish, if not 
actually sick; he loses his appetite and 
will seldom ask for a drink of water. 
But send him out into the cold fresh 
air to romp, even with the thermometer 
below zero, and he will return ~wl£: 
cheeks aglow, a voracious appetite and 
nearly always thirsty, his romp in the 
fresh air having created an appetite for 
the life essentials. 

Now, what is true of children is true, 
also, of grown people, and if they would 
walk more or romp more in the cold air 
of winter, there would be a natural de- 

161 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

sire created for the life essentials in 
proper proportions. And if healthy 
persons require the life essentials to 
keep them well, what chance is there 
for a sickly person to get well unless he 
gets the life essentials like a healthy 
person? He may not be able to romp 
very much at first, but he must have his 
full share of oxygen and liquids. 

But the foolish fears of winter and 
its rigors do still more harm, for they 
tend to put the whole organism, mind 
and body, into a cowering, shrinking, 
weakened state, and so invite the very 
things one would avoid. The mind 
plays such an important part in health 
and sickness that one's mental equip- 
ment and fortifications must be prop- 
erly looked after, if he would resist dis- 
ease. Meet the very thought of winter 
— ice, snow, swirling wind, coal-bill and 
everything — with the strongest asser- 
tions of your ability not only to survive 
it all, but to enjoy it all; and proceed 
positively and independently to carry 
out your assertions. Use some such 
auto-suggestions as the following, going 
over them many times a day until they 

are "second-nature" to you, and live up 

162 



HEALTH IN WINTER 

to them fearlessly. Let them become 
habits of thought: 

WINTER AUTO-SUGGESTIONS 

"Winter is now here and I see healthy- 
people around me every day. Health is 
mine by birthright, and by living like a 
healthy person I am bound to be 
healthy." 

* * * 

"The healthy man helps himself free- 
ly to fresh air every day, so, hereafter, 
I shall ventilate my bedroom and keep 
fresh air in all the living rooms in my 
house. I shall spend as much time as 
possible in the open air every day, no 
matter how cold the weather, and I shall 
breathe the fresh air deeply into my 
lungs till it seems to stimulate me all 
over. I shall know each night as I go to 
bed that I have helped myself to all the 
fresh air I require." 

* * * 

"I am taking the full amount of 
liquids required by the healthy man dur- 
ing the winter — two quarts every day. 
I know this liquid is sustaining all my 
secretions and enabling me to eliminate 
the waste materials from my body. It 
is making me enjoy my food and en- 

163 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

abling me to digest it thoroughly. It 
is keeping my kidneys, skin and bowels 
active. It is bound to keep me in good 
health." 



"The fresh air I am getting now, and 
the liquids I am drinking, stimulate my 
appetite. I enjoy every meal. I am 
eating heartily, and I thoroughly mas- 
ticate every mouthful of food before 
swallowing it. I can feel that the food 
I eat is making good, red, rich blood. It 
is giving me warmth, strength, courage 
and health." 

* * * 

"I know that by looking after these 
three life essentials faithfully I am 
bound to have perfect health, and that 
health insures me against disease. 



» 



"I am a healthy man. I am fearless. 
I go fearlessly into all kinds of weather, 
knowing that health protects me against 
everything." 

* * * 

"I am happy, cheerful, confident in 
my health thoughts. I enjoy the win- 
ter and shall enjoy the summer all the 

164 



HEALTH IN WINTER 



more for having passed 
bracing winter months." 



through 



the 



"I know the rales for health. I am 
following them faithfully. I have 
health; I am healthy and strong." 




165 



CHAPTER XIII 

Auto/Suggestion; The Diagnosis and Treats 

ment of a Typical Case of Chronic 

Physical Suffering 

IN ORDER that every reader may 
* thoroughly understand the impor- 
tant point I brought out in Chapter IX, 
viz.: that the majority of physical troub- 
les from which people suffer are due 
to faulty circulation, I will give the his- 
tory and diagnosis of an actual case that 
attended one of my clinics and outline 
the advice given to him. 

Faulty circulation is always due to 
failure to partake properly of life es- 
sentials, whether they be neglected from 
ignorance or on account of the inter- 
vention of certain states of mind which 
interfere with the normal appetite for 
the life essentials. 

Although the patient whose case I 
cite merely failed to partake freely of 

166 



A TYPICAL CASE 

the life essentials, he suffered from a 
great variety of symptoms. In running 
over the list of his symptoms they ap- 
pear at first glance to be entirely dis- 
tinct and independent troubles; but a 
little closer examination will show that 
all physical symptoms are invariably in- 
terdependent and spring in sequence 
from a common cause — faulty circula- 
tion. This being the case, it is evident 
that no matter from what physical troub- 
le a man suffers he cannot go wrong 
in employing auto-suggestions that will 
pave the way for the life essentials, and 
when proper attention is given to the 
life essentials and the circulation im- 
proves, the symptoms in turn disappear 
in a sequence. 

The man, whose case I report here- 
with, was completely relieved of all his 
symptoms in a few weeks and gained 
fourteen pounds in weight. This result 
was brought about solely by his follow- 
ing the instruction given regarding the 
life essentials and persistently employing 
the auto-suggestions advised. 

There are thousands of chronic suf- 
ferers who require nothing more to re- 
gain their health than the simple ad- 
vice given in this chapter, provided, of 

167 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

course, it be followed out faithfully. 
Try it. 

Here is the history and diagnosis of 
the case and the advice given, reprinted 
from Lesson XI. of my larger work on 
suggestive therapeutics : 

In order that the student may be fa- 
miliar with the system we use in arri- 
ving at an accurate diagnosis of cases 
treated at the Chicago School of Psy- 
chology, I select a case in point, giving 
the detailed methods employed in an 
exhaustive manner. This will be a 
sufficient guide in similar cases. We have 
taken hundreds such, and cured them 
without the use of a single drop of medi- 
cine. It is always possible to foretell the 
result which will be obtained in these 
cases, provided the patient follows out 
his part of the treatment. 

SUFFERED THIRTY-FIVE YEARS 
The patient, M. C, male, unmarried, 
age 57, weight 156 pounds, presented 
himself at the clinic one morning, and 
when asked of what he was complaining, 
said: "I have been suffering for thirty- 
five years from constipation. I have 
tried everything I could think of which 
seemed likely to benefit me. I have con- 
sulted a dozen physicians and taken 

168 



A TYPICAL CASE 

their medicines, which always left me 
in a worse condition, although they 
moved my bowels while taking them. 
I haven't had one normal movement of 
the bowels in thirty-five years. For the 
past two years I have taken nothing in- 
ternally, relying on enemas. I believe 
if my constipation could be cured I 
should feel better all over. The doctors 
have always said that the constipation 
was the cause of my poor health. I came 
here because you cured a friend of mine, 
but my trouble is of such long standing 
that I don't believe anything will ever 
cure me." 

At this juncture I asked the patient 
to leave the room and addressed my 
class as follows: "You have all heard 
what this man has said, and I wish to 
point out a few things to you. This 
man believes all his trouble is caused by 
constipation. Now constipation is not 
a cause of anything but hemorrhoids 
which follow the unnatural straining at 
stool which it requires. It is a symptom, 
generally, of imperfect elimination, but 
sometimes of a contracted sphincter 
muscle or some other mechanical ob- 
struction. However, a glance at the sal- 
low complexion of this patient shows 

169 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

that, in his case at least, it is likely due 
to imperfect elimination caused by im- 
perfect nutrition. When nutrition is 
perfect every organ is well nourished 
and performs its functions properly. I 
venture to say that very few, if any, of 
the organs in this patient's body are 
working perfectly. I think we shall 
find that he neither digests nor assimi- 
lates his food properly. If this be the 
case we should find other troubles in 
his body resulting from imperfect nu- 
trition. 

"A tree is much like a human being. 
Give it plenty of fresh air, water and a 
rich soil, and it will flourish. In the 
same degree in which it is deprived of 
these does it wilt, and the first part of 
the tree to wilt when the nutrition be- 
comes imperfect is the top. This is ow- 
ing to the force of gravity; the blood 
of the tree, the sap, having to overcome 
this force of nature when nourishing 
the highest leaves. The blood of man 
is also affected by this same force, and 
the moment a man's circulation begins 
to run down, owing to stinted nutrition, 
we find that the first symptoms of troub- 
le appear in the head. We should study 
these symptoms and be in a position to 

170 



A TYPICAL CASE 

recognize them at once, for some of 
them precede such troubles as constipa- 
tion and dyspepsia. 

EFFECT OF IMPERFECT NUTRITION 
ON THE BRAIN 

The brain failing to receive its ac- 
customed amount of blood, such troubles 
as impaired memory, inability to con- 
centrate the attention, sleeplessness, 
nervousness, irritableness, the blues and 
slight headaches develop; and the im- 
pulses sent all over the body becoming 
feebler, the various organs do not per- 
form their functions as satisfactorily as 
usual. The impulses to the stomach and 
bowels becoming weaker and weaker, 
dyspepsia or constipation, or both, soon 
follow. As soon as these, the main or- 
gans of nutrition, are out of order, nu- 
trition fails rapidly and more "head 
symptoms" develop. Every impulse to 
the muscular system leaves the brain, 
and the strength of these impulses de- 
pends upon the nutrition to the brain 
centers controlling the various groups. 
As the nutrition of these centers de- 
clines, the whole muscular system, in- 
cluding the muscles of the bowels, be- 
comes weaker and the patient complains 

that he exhausts easily. The impulses 

171 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

for elimination becoming weaker, waste 
products remain in the circulation, and 
any of the evils, which naturally follow 
this state of affairs, such as rheuma- 
tism, sick headache, biliousness, etc., are 
likely to develop. The centers of the 
special senses feeling the lessening of 
the vital fluid, such troubles as impaired 
vision, impaired hearing, loss of appetite 
(sense of taste), and inability to detect 
odors quickly, soon follow. The sense 
of touch becomes more acute, and it is 
for this reason that one in poor health 
becomes hypersensitive. Lowered cir- 
culation in the mucous membrane of the 
throat and nose is often the cause of 
nasal catarrh appearing on the scene as 
an early symptom. This man believes 
his whole trouble is caused by constipa- 
tion, but when we have taken a full list 
of his symptoms, many of you will think 
differently. I shall now recall the 
patient." 

SYMPTOMS 

Briefly, the following is the list of 
symptoms he gave, and I copy them from 
the record book; Memory, concentra- 
tion, sight, hearing, strength, digestion, 
appetite, all impaired. Nasal catarrh, 

172 



A TYPICAL CASE 

insomnia, hemorrhoids, constipation, bil- 
iousness, rapid pulse, vertigo, cold hands 
and feet, neuralgia, dry skin, rheuma- 
tism, inability to think quickly, all 
present. Amount of urine voided very 
scanty and high colored. Eats very little 
food and drinks an average of iy 2 pints 
in twenty-four hours. Had operation for 
hemorrhoids some years before, but they 
returned (cause was not removed). Sleeps 
not more than two or three hours each 
night. 

Having finished recording the history 
of the patient's case, I took a seat di- 

rectlv in front of him. He was in a half 

*/ 

reclining position in the operating chair, 
and could see every expression of my 
face. Looking him squarely in the eyes, 
I addressed him earnestly as follows: 
TALK WITH THE PATIENT 

"Mr. C , you came here hoping 

you might get well, and I am glad to be 
able to tell you that after considering 
carefully your present condition and the 
history of your case, we are confident 
that you can be made a sound man again. 
However, to bring about this result it 
will be necessary for you to follow care- 
fully, for one month, the simple direc- 
tions I shall give you. Now, I want you 

173 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

to promise that you will follow my 
orders faithfully for one month, and 
come regularly for treatment." Answer, 
"I promise." "Very well, I will not ask 
you to do anything very laborious. Mr. 
C , you require more blood. To ob- 
tain this you must eat more food and 
drink more fluid than in the past. The 
healthy man requires five pints of fluids 
in the day to enable the various organs 
of his body to perform their work prop- 
erly. You must be exact about this 
point. See that you drink at least ten 
ordinary glasses of fluid every day. Take 
not more than a good mouthful of fluid 
at one time, and take a dozen or more 
of them every hour. Every time you sip 
your fluids I wish you to remember the 
conditions we are endeavoring to bring 
about. Every time you do this you 
bring the force of auto-suggestion into 
operation, and this will assist in over- 
coming your troubles. A man can tell 
a story so often that finally he may 
believe it to be true. You must tell 
yourself about the changes which are to 
come about, so often, that they will 
actually occur. As often as possible re- 
peat to yourself something like this: 

'This water tastes good. It is intended 
174 



A TYPICAL CASE 

to make me hungry, increase the amount 
of gastric juice, assist digestion and 
assimilation, increase the amount of bile, 
and cause my bowels to move at 7 o'clock 
every morning. It is to increase my 
nutrition, improve elimination, and make 
me feel better all over. I shall be hap- 
pier, more cheerful, more energetic, and 
must sleep soundly each night at 10 
o'clock/ 

SUGGESTION 

"Mr. C j try to think over these 

things fifty to one hundred times a day. 
Think only of things as you wish them 
to occur. Avoid discussing your ill 
health with friends. In fact, say noth- 
ing about your physical condition until 
you can tell everyone around you that 
you are feeling better. For the present, 
cease taking medicines. If necessary to 
administer anything internally we can 
prescribe later. However, I am certain 
that you will not require one drop of 
medicine, and inside of a day or two 
your bowels will be moving freely. 

"Now, Mr. C , close your eyes and 

relax every muscle in your body; that's 
right (pause). You have relaxed nicely 
all over and I have your whole attention. 
Every word I utter now will sink deeply 

175 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

into your mind, and every suggestion of 
health I give to you will take form in 

action in your body. Listen, Mr. C 9 

you will be hungry, hungry, hungry for 
every meal; thirsty, thirsty, thirsty all 
the time. You will sip, sip, sip at your 
fluids all day long, and fifty to one hun- 
dred times a day you will think of the 
condition of health which must come to 
you. Your stomach will digest every- 
thing you eat. Your appetite will in- 
crease, and shortly you will be eating 
and drinking as much as the strongest 
man you know. When you are eating 
and drinking as much as a strong man, 
you will be generating as much strength 
as he does. In fact, you will become as 
strong as the strongest man you know. 
You will practice long, deep breathing. 
Get plenty of fresh air and practice deep 
breathing a number of times each day. 
Your bowels will move freely every 
morning at 7 o'clock — at seven o'clock 
do you hear? — at seven o'clock, every 
morning. Keep the appointment at that 
hour whether the inclination be present 
or not — at seven o'clock each morning. 
Then you will sleep, sleep, sleep at ten 
o'clock every night. Your whole system 

will undergo a change at once and you 

176 



A TYPICAL CASE 

will sleep every night, commencing to- 
night, at ten o'clock, you will sleep — 
do you hear? Mark the hour — at ten 
o'clock to-night — at ten o'clock every 
night." 

STIMULATION OF THE BRAIN 
CENTERS 

I kept up suggestions such as these 
for about five minutes, as well as 
others which applied to his condition, 
repeating them over and over. I then 
lowered his head for two or three min- 
utes using manipulations around the 
head and neck. I let the patient under- 
stand that this was to stimulate the 
various brain centers by increasing the 
amount of blood in his head. Having 
kept his head down for two or three min- 
utes, I raised it and once more went 
over the same suggestions given before. 
The patient was then allowed to rest in 
silence for a minute with directions to 
think over what had been said to him. 
He was then aroused and told to come 
regularly for treatment. 

IMPROVEMENT THE FOLLOWING DAY 

The following day he reported that his 
bowels had moved shortly after his treat- 
ment the day before, as well as that 
morning, and that he had a better appe- 

177 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

tite, but had not slept very well. The 
next day he reported that he had slept 
better, eaten better, felt stronger, and 
that the bowels had moved again. 

The force of any suggestion depends 
largely upon the number of times it is 
repeated. The oftener a piece of poetry 
is repeated the more indelibly it becomes 
imprinted in the mind. It is so, also, 
with a therapeutic suggestion; the 
oftener it is repeated the more potent 
it becomes, even though the treatment 
may seem monotonous. For this reason 
this patient was given almost the same 
suggestions day after day during his 
whote treatment of six weeks. The sug- 
gestions evidently became fixed in his 
mind, for they certainly bore fruit. 
From day to day the patient gained 
steadily, one trouble after another dis- 
appearing as his nutrition improved. 
He seemed to follow every suggestion, for 
at the end of six weeks his weight had 
increased from 156 to 170 pounds; ab- 
solutely every complaint had disap- 
peared, and the patient declared that he 
was in better health and spirits than he 
had ever enjoyed. As I said before, this 
was a typical case, and the treatment, 
though simple, was typical of the plan 
of treatment I adopt in these cases. 

ITS 



CHAPTEE XIV 

AutcvSuggestion the Basis of All 
Healing 

J N the introduction to this book I said 
* it was a demonstrable fact that all 
the phenomena of Christian Science, 
Magnetic Healing, Divine Science, Mental 
Science, Sacred Shrines, Absent Treat- 
ment, Success Circles, etc., are due to 
auto-suggestion; also that the majority of 
cures made under the direction of prac- 
titioners of the recognized schools of 
medicine can be directly traced to the 
same cause. 

Cures of similar complaints have oc- 
curred under all these methods of treat- 
ing disease, yet the thoughtful reader 
must realize that in a given disease 
there can be but one method of cure, no 
matter how many different systems of 
treatment may have claimed to cure 
that particular disease. All a system of 
treatment can do is to arouse the heal- 
179 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

ing powers within the patient himself, 
and, since this healing force is identical 
in every instance, it is evident that some 
force must be used in common by all 
these different systems, for cures of 
similar complaints have been made by 
all. 

Although these systems of treatment 
may differ greatly in their theories and 
practice, there is one agent that is em- 
ployed by all in common, and this agent 
cannot be eliminated, or withhe^ from 
any system of treatment. I refer, of 
course, to auto-suggestion. 

The moment a patient begins to take 
a treatment of any nature or does the 
smallest thing for the purpose of pro- 
ducing a certain result, his auto-sug- 
gestion is brought into play, and, other 
things being equal, the system of treat- 
ment which arouses the strongest auto- 
suggestion in a given case is the system 
which is most likely to cure the patient. 

I am aware that the advocates of the 

systems of treatment I have mentioned 

ridicule or deny that auto-suggestion 

plays any part in the cures they claim 

to make, but this merely shows their 

ignorance of the existence of the power 

and scope of auto-suggestion. The 

180 



BASIS OF HEALING 

reader who has followed me through 
the theory and practice of auto-sugges- 
tion must realize that the practitioner 
of the healing art who understands what 
can be accomplished by auto-suggestion, 
and knows how to arouse his patient's 
auto-suggestions, is bound to get better 
results than a practitioner who is igno- 
rant of the force and who trusts to luck 
for his system of treatment in some in- 
scrutable way to heal his patient. 

Eecently I was asked the following 
curious but significant question by a 
correspondent: 

"I know a man who claims to cure diseases 
and burns by blowing on the parts affected. 
He claims that any person born after the 
death of his father has the power to make 
similar cures. What do you think about it?" 

I have heard of men who cured by 
snapping their fingers around their 
patients' bodies, and of the doctor who 
prescribed for his patients, made up 
their medicines and then took the medi- 
cines himself instead of giving them to 
his patients. Excellent results followed 
both these methods of treatment, and I 
have no doubt this latest method of 
healing will make hundreds, yes, thou- 
sands of cures, and command a large fol- 
lowing of converts, especially if the 
blowing doctor's breath be strong. 

181 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

But in what way, pray, does the heal- 
ing force aroused by the blowing differ 
from the healing force aroused by Chris- 
tian Science, Magnetic Healing, Shrines, 
or any of the other systems I have men- 
tioned? Since the world began thou- 
sands of "cures," some more absurd than 
others, have come into prominence, had 
their following, made their cures and 
then died out, only to be followed by 
others apparently more reasonable, but 
just as absurd in fact. Those which 
come in the guise of a religion secure 
the most adherents and are slowest to 
die out, but, as the education of the 
masses spreads in matters psychic, even 
the greatest of religious systems of treat- 
ment will go the same way as the "post- 
humous healer's" breath. 

I cannot see that the cure of one case 
of rheumatism by a "posthumous heal- 
er's" breath differs from the cure made in 
another case by carrying a horse-chest- 
nut in the pocket or wearing a brass 
finger ring. Nor can I see that it differs 
from a cure of rheumatism made by 
any other method or system, or theory 
of treatment. The healing force 
aroused by all must be identical in every 

case, and, since auto-suggestion is the one 

182 



BASIS OF HEALING 

force or agent ever present in all sys- 
tems of treatment, I feel safe in assum- 
ing that auto-suggestion is the healing 
force underlying all systems of treat- 
ment and that the cures are made by the 
arousing of the healing forces within 
the patient himself through his auto- 
suggestions. 

If auto-suggestion in so many absurd 
disguises can work such marvels in heal- 
ing the sick, strengthening the weak, 
bringing success to the unsuccessful by 
wearing Hindu charms, bringing hope to 
the hopeless, etc., who can say what 
cannot be accomplished by its undis- 
guised, intelligent use? 




183 



CHAPTEE XV 

How Psychic Pictures arc Made Realix 
ties by Auto/Suggestion 

WHAT are your mental or psychic 
pictures like? Have you ever 
given a thought to the fact that you are 
continually influenced for good or for 
bad by your mental pictures ? No ? Then 
I would advise you hereafter to pay some 
attention to the mental pictures you 
conjure in your mind every day of your 
life, for they play an important part in 
your life and in your destiny, and can 
be made to play a still more important 
part and enable you to shape your 
destiny if you will learn to control them 
voluntarily. 

Have you never seen a psychic picture 
of yourself playing a weak, impotent, 
fearful part, with everything going 
gainst you? And have you noticed when 
you have persisted in drawing up these 
fear-thought pictures that everything 

184 



PSYCHIC PICTURES 

seemed to go wrong with you, that they 
depressed you and that the very fears 
of your mental pictures seemed to ma- 
terialize ? 

Eemember this: 

THOUGHT TENDS TO TAKE FORM IN 
ACTION, AND MENTAL PICTURES 
TEND TO MATERIALIZE 

I suppose this is only another way of 
saying "As a man thinketh in his heart, 
so is he." It is true also that our 
thoughts or mental pictures, besides in- 
fluencing ourselves mentally and phys- 
ically, actually affect the people around 
us, and at times apparently influence 
even inanimate objects; so subtly does 
the mind work in its endeavor to make 
our thoughts realities. 

Of course I do not mean by this that 
the mind is actually projected from the 
body for the purpose of removing ma- 
terial obstacles, but so great is the power 
of the mind, when it is earnestly riveted 
on a desired goal, that our every volun- 
tary or involuntary action is influenced 
by it and at times, in the concentration 
upon the goal, many acts are uncon- 
sciously performed, which, as I said, 
make it appear superficially as if the 
mind influences even material objects. 

Frequently I am called upon to treat 
185 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

persons suffering from nothing but the 
effects of persistently holding wrong 
mental pictures. Some of these patients 
have held mental pictures of themselves 
in which they were afraid to meet peo- 
ple and could feel their own embarrass- 
ment as depicted in these mental pic- 
tures. The result of habitually holding 
a mental picture of this kind is self- 
consciousness. 

UNDESIRABLE PSYCHIC IMAGES 

Others have held pictures in which 
they have seen themselves on the road 
to insanity, and the insane asylum yawn- 
ing for them at the end of the road. 
And although it is true that a man who 
is actually going insane never realizes 
his trouble, yet the victims of these 
mental pictures of insanity may event- 
ually become insane if the mental pic- 
tures are persisted in; but the insanity 
in these cases arises from the poor 
physical condition into which the patient 
falls as the result of fear and worry. 
Fear and worry interfere with the nor- 
mal desires for the life essentials — air, 
water and food — and their neglect 
causes general physical deterioration in 
which the brain shares. 

Others, again, have held mental pic- 
186 



PSYCHIC PICTURES 

tures of failure and poverty with the 
poorhouse well defined in the back- 
ground. Psychic pictures of this kind 
produce fear, worry and unhappiness, 
and these lead to general physical de- 
terioration; with the loss of health 
comes loss of ambition, leading to failure 
and not infrequently to the actual ma- 
terializing of the mental picture. 

Poor physical health, following the 
neglect of the life essentials, is the most 
frequent cause of injurious psychic im- 
pressions. But it is also true that 
thought forms of sickness and disease 
will induce poor physical health. Conse- 
quently, in banishing injurious or unde- 
sirable mental states, it is important in 
every instance to improve the general 
physical condition at the earliest possi- 
ble moment, for with good health it is 
much easier to hold the mind on bene- 
ficial mental images than when the body 
and brain are suffering from physical 
deterioration. 

It is impossible to hold a mental pic- 
ture of health at the same moment with 
a picture of disease, or to hold a picture 
of confidence and fearlessness with a 
picture of self-consciousness and timid- 
ity, and, since it is a fact that mental 
187 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

pictures do materialize, it is not difficult 
to select the classes of mental pictures 
one should encourage his mind to hold. 

The mental pictures of the average 
man drift into his mind unconsciously, 
and if they be injurious«they may injure 
him greatly before he realizes the actual 
cause of his troubles and learns how to 
remove it. Every man should be taught 
how great an influence his mental pic- 
tures exert over his mental and physical 
welfare and his fortunes, and he should 
learn that it is possible for him to 
choose voluntarily his mental pictures. 

CHOICE OF MENTAL IMAGES 

The voluntary selecting of mental 
pictures is not an easy feat at first for 
a person whose mental images have been 
allowed to run riot or for one who en- 
deavors to hold a mental picture directly 
opposed to a conception that has been 
held in his mind habitually. However, 
a little practice in holding voluntarily 
created mental imagery assists greatly, 
and if the practice be persisted in daily 
it will not take long to establish a fair 
degree of voluntary control over the 
subjective thought forms. 

To the man in poor health I would 
suggest that he first give careful atten- 

188 



PSYCHIC PICTURES 

tion to the life essentials and then hold 
mental pictures of health. He must 
call up a picture in which he sees him- 
self in good health in every organ and 
every cell of his body. He should see 
himself strong and vigorous. The timid 
and self-conscious should see themselves 
playing the part of strong, determined, 
aggressive, confident, fearless men. The 
man with featrs and worries should 
picture himself fearless, light-hearted 
and happy. The man who feels himself 
unjustly oppressed, or down-trodden or 
over-burdened, should see himself abso- 
lutely freed from his objectionable en- 
vironment — a veritable monarch of all 
he surveys. 

The unsuccessful or the unfortunate 
should let his mind dwell on pictures of 
successful attainment; while a man with 
an ambition should see himself attain- 
ing his ambition. 

RULE FOR PRODUCING DESIRABLE 
PSYCHIC STATES 

The simplest rule to follow in conjur- 
ing mental forms that will prove most 
serviceable in a given case is to picture, 
voluntarily, in one's mind, the exact 
conditions it is desired to bring about. 

To secure the results desired it is not 
sufficient merely to draw up an occa- 
189 



AUTO-SUGGESTION 

sionai mental picture of attainment. 
On the contrary, the mental picture 
should be formed hundreds of times 
every day, if only for a moment at a 
time, until a habit of calling up the de- 
sired conditions is f ornled. It is a little 
more difficult if the new picture hap- 
pens to be directly opposed to an old 
picture, but the new picture must be 
called to mind so often that there is no 
time left for the mind to dwell on the 
old scenes, and as often as the old im- 
pression manages to slip into the mind 
it must be supplanted immediately with 
the new picture and eventually the old 
thought picture will fade away. 

AUTO-SUGGESTION HELPFUL 

The materializing of any reasonable 
mental picture can be hastened by ac- 
companying the picture with earnest 
verbal auto-suggestion. 

The idea of mental pictures ma- 
terializing may seem absurd to some, 
and impractical to others, but I have 
seen too many positive results follow the 
voluntary use of mental pictures to 
question their efficacy as a means of at- 
taining desired ends of almost every 
nature. 



190 



A MAIL COURSE IN 

Suggestive Therapeutics 

BY 
HERBERT A. PARKYN, M. D., C. M. 

Author of Auto -Suggestion 

P\R. PARKYN'S work on "Suggestive Therapeu- 
tics" is the result of his fifteen years' practical 
experience in treating mental and physical troubles 
by suggestion and rational hygiene, It is very practi- 
cal and goes thoroughly into the operations of the law 
of suggestion as applied in health and to sickness. 
It tells exactly how to proceed to relieve different 
classes of mental and phyisical ailments in one's self 
and in others, and it gives, also, a clear insight into 
many remarkable psychic phenomena. It is different 
in theory and practice from anything published along 
advanced thought lines and tells the whys and where- 
fores of things. It is the result of observation and 
practical experiences, gleaned from treatment of over 
11,000 patients, treated in private and clinic at THE 

Chicago School of Psychology, and was writ- 

ten especially for students who could not come to 
Chicago to take the personal course at the school. 

If you are interested in the law of suggestion or in 
drugless healing, you cannot afford to be without a 
copy of this course. It has been indorsed by the 
conservative medical press and by students and 
thinkers in every walk of life. 

THE COURSE CONSISTS OF 42 LESSONS 
BOUND IN ONE BOOK OF 400 PAGES 

For full particulars write 

THE CHICAGO SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY 

4020 Drexel Boulevard, Chicago, III. 



The Deluge and Its Cause 



F'HIS is a revised and intensely interesting book by 
Professor Isaac Newton Vail. It presents in 
logical form the claim that geologists have misinter- 
preted some vital Rock Records. These records 
show that at one time the earth was encircled by 
rings similar to those now seen around the planet 
Saturn; that these rings were formed of primitive 
world-dust and watery vapors which had been sent 
to the terrestrial sky from the molten earth, and that 
in their progressive fall these rings were the great 
strata builders and ocean makers in all the ages, end- 
ing their grand career with the DELUGE OF NOAH. 

Our author presents the most satisfying proof that 
vast remnants of the Earth's Ring System fell very 
late in geologic time as vast reaches of snow, bring- 
ing down the cold of the skies, and wrapped the 
tropic earth in the ice mantle of the glacial epochs. 

Turning from the rock beds to the focil beds of an- 
cient thought the author shows, it seems beyond a 
doubt, that man saw the last remnants of the earth's 
ring system, and gives some of the most startling 
evidence that what is called mythology is the actual 
history of phenomena caused by the last movements 
of the primeval vapors in the NIGHT-TIME OF THE 
HUMAN PERIOD. 

The price of the THE DELUGE AND ITS CAUSE is 
$1.00; post paid. Send orders to 

SUGGESTION PUBLISHING CO. 

4020 Drexel Boulevard, Chicago, III. 



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